Always Forever
by Divine Valor
Summary: It's been almost a year, hasn't it? Peace doesn't come without a price. Maybe your life was too little...or maybe it was more than what was demanded. People have been abducted left and right. Personalities have undergone drastic transformations. Some new faces appeared at the guild. Life doesn't stop for anyone. Always...forever. *Read Tiamat first to understand this*
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**Dark Night**

* * *

"When the night comes...the shadows call your name..."

The full moon hung in the sky, bathing the hallow grounds in silvery light.

The cemetary seemed to be in order. But no one noticed the short cloaked figure standing in front of a statue of the Grim Reaper. Then again, who did? The warden lay at his feet, unconscious, his lantern broken beyond repair.

"When the night comes...nothing will be the same," the mysterious figure said.

* * *

In a small village, a young girl came back from the well, carrying a bucket of water. She was singing, her graceful melodies flowing like a river.

"When the night comes...no safety shall be found."

Skipping happily, but taking care not to spill the water, the girl rounded the corner.

A loud thud, and the bucket fell, spilling its contents upon the earth.

"When the night comes...there will be no solid ground."

* * *

A young mother lulled her newborn infant to sleep, watching as her precious son began to fall into slumber.

"When the night comes...the innocent shall sleep."

The mother retired to the bedroom she shared with her beloved husband. She couldn't wait for tomorrow. She couldn't wait to look at her infant's eyes again, eyes as blue as icebergs. Eyes that were quite common in their country of the same name. Smiling to herself, she fell asleep.

"When the night comes...a secret it shall keep."

A knife slid between the window, lifting the latch before the owner pushed them open silently. Eyes darting around as if expecting the parents to barge in, the intruder snatched the baby boy out of his cradle. Scoping the room once more, the intruder climbed out, making sure to close the window behind him. Using his knife, he performed the tricky task of reseting the latch under a minute.

* * *

"When the night comes...a promise shall be made."

"No, no! This is the wrong blood type!" A man in a white lab coat sighed furiously, running a hand through his spiky hair. "You swore you'd bring the_ right_ one this time!"

"Sorry, sir!" His companion bowed in apology. "It's extremely difficult to find that certain blood type! It almost doesn't exist!"

"If it didn't exist," the man in the lab coat growled lowly, "why do _you_ seem to have it in_ your_ veins?"

The other man looked up hesitantly. "D-doctor?"

"Exactly what blood type _are_ you?" the doctor asked, holding a syringe.

Understanding the situation quickly, the man answered carefully. "O negative."

The doctor turned away. "I see," he said in disappointment, fiddling with the syringe. "You can go. Just bring another with that blood."

The man sighed inwardly. So it wouldn't be his blood that had to be stored.

"When the night comes...all trust will be betrayed."

But as the man turned his back, the doctor spun around quickly, the tip of his needle jabbing into the adult's neck.

His companion fell to his knees, eyes drooping as his body fell forward, landing on the doctor's shoulders.

"Pft...it's amazing how stupid some people are," the doctor snickered, taking off his glasses and placing them in his pocket. As he stood, shifting the weight of the body on his back, the "doctor" brought out a pair of dark sunglasses, replacing them in front of his eyes. "Wear a lab coat, some glasses, and the right equipment, and suddenly, you assume I'm a doctor. Fool."

The con artist slid the window open. They were four stories up, and a tree stood across from the window. He jumped, holding the body on his shoulder as he landed on the branch. "Piece of cake," he smirked.

* * *

"When the night comes...the shadows will be freed."

Three figures appeared next to the short person at the statue. The "doctor" had thrown his victim over his shoulder; the kidnapper held the bawling infant in his hands; and the third had hoisted the unconscious girl onto his back.

"Is that everything?" the smallest of the group asked, somehow making himself heard over the baby's cries.

"The blood, the host, the replacement: we got everything," the conniving doctor grunted, shifting the weight once more.

"Now to head back to the guild," the one holding the baby said.

As the older males turned around, the smallest looked back at the statue.

"When the night comes..." he murmured, touching the end of the stone scythe.

"Niebel, hurry it up!"

The one called Niebel strode away from the statue, rushing towards his kidnapping companions as a single thought ran through his mind.

The scene cuts to Sabertooth's headquarters, where a man with dark hair and crimson eyes has left an upstart who challenged him in a heap of flesh and bones.

In a flash, Lamia Scale's guild is seen. Ooba Babasama lifts the guild stamp from someone's right shoulder blade.

Another scene cut, and Mermaid Heel's base is visible. A white furred Exceed with two tails stares out her dorm room window, watching the ocean's waves crash against the shore.

_"You'll pay for your misdeeds."_

* * *

**Miss me, miss me not?**

**I do not own the fine works of Hiro Mashima.**

**The lines come from the poem When The Night Comes by Raven Nevermore.**

**So how was it for the first chapter?**


	2. Chapter 2

**SPRING BREAK! **

**I have a whole week off, as do many other people, giving me time to think of new ideas for new chapters. Looks like I forgot to mention something: YES! This is a sequel for Tiamat!**

* * *

Chapter 2

**Changing Time**

* * *

In the blink of an eye, eleven months have gone by. A paw can be seen putting quill to paper.

_It's been almost a year, hasn't it? If you were still here, you'd probably look like an eleven year old by now._

_Peace doesn't come without a price. And you were the payment. Maybe your life was too little...or maybe it was more than what was demanded. We'll never know the answer, will we? Perhaps it was the former. People have been abducted left and right. Everyone suspects it to be Bosco's doing. After all, they kidnap more people than their citizens earn money._

"Look at this!" A feminine hand slammed the request paper down on the table, a fingernail tapping the headline.

At another table, the split-tailed Exceed, Vóreia, looked up from her journal, snapping it shut. The lock clicked into place as she flew over.

"Three people in one night?" Beth cried, reading the paper carefully. "In Iceberg?"

_"Iceberg?"_ At the name of the country, the Exceed pushed past her guild mates to stand next to the paper, using her quill as a guide for the words. "A girl, a baby boy, and a grown man: all three disappeared at the same time, same day, but in different places," Vóreia murmured. "'Ransoms have not been offered by the abductors, for we have no idea of their current whereabouts.'"

"But how the hell are you supposed to find three skilled kidnappers?" Arania fumed.

"'These request papers will update themselves when new information regarding the kidnappers have been found,'" Risley read off, using her slim index finger as a guide when Vóreia lifted her feather.

"I'm telling you, it's those assholes from Bosco," Arania snapped. Ever since her guild mate's death, she developed a tongue that swore unnecessarily. "Last week, they almost kidnapped Millianna and Kagura."

"Yeah, but they seriously underestimated the two," Risley chuckled.

Shaking her head, Vóreia flew back to her table, popping the lock on her journal open. Taking her quill and dipping it into an ink bottle, she put the tip to the page where she left off.

_Things have really changed since you left. Personalities have undergone drastic transformations. Not to mention appearances. Arania is swearing a lot, Risley lost weight...and them?_

* * *

Three mages hit the wall roughly, bloody and bruised. A hand constricted around a fourth man's neck, causing him to turn purple.

"Really, Sting?" Rogue raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed and ticked off. "_These_ are dark mages of Tartaros? _These_ pathetic insults?" he snarled, subconsciously tightening his hold on the dark mage's neck.

"Wait, Rogue! We can't get the reward if you kill one of them!" Sting sweated nervously at the release of his best friend's inner beast. Or was that inner dragon? "Let that guy go, I'll tie them up!"

Glancing at the mage with disgust, Rogue dropped him on the ground, kicking his ribs as he walked away.

"What? I'm supposed to haul them to the authorities myself?" Sting yelled.

He should have kept his big mouth shut.

Rogue looked back at his partner, crimson eyes glaring harshly at the White Dragon Slayer. Sting knew that look all too well. It was only reserved for people he wanted dead.

"N-never mind!" Sting stammered. His partner turned away, walking out of sight. When he was no longer visible, the Dragon Slayer sighed in relief. "That was close," he muttered, pulling the rope tightly around the mages.

"Wait, Rogue!" Frosch cried, ready to fly after his best friend.

"Frosch." Lector pounded a fist against Frosch's head—at least, the head of the costume. "Let him cool off."

Frosch hung his head. "Fro wants Rogue to be normal again."

"We do, too," Sting said, hauling the unconscious mages towards the direction where Rogue left. "Do you know how many times I've gotten nightmares of him murdering me?"

"He's been like that since last July," Lector pointed out. A chamomile flower growing nearby caught his attention, and the red-furred Exceed picked it. "She likes me, she likes me not..." he mumbled as he picked the petals off one at a time. Sting was amused by his best friend's antics.

"Fro wishes Mermaid-san was alive, don't you, Sting?"

Sting halted, shocked that the froggy Exceed would have the guts to say that. Lector didn't seem to notice. He simply walked past Sting and Frosch muttering, "She likes me, she likes me not..." Somehow, he ran into a tree, but Lector took a few steps back and began to walk up the trunk of the tree.

True, there were times when he wished_ she_ was alive.

_She._

_Her._

Glacia Patin.

A white-haired, blue-eyed ten-year old girl who somehow caught Rogue's eye. Back then, Sting was certain it was only because she was a _Dragon Slayer_. The _Ice_ Dragon Slayer, at that.

But since her death...Sting grew convinced that Rogue _had_ liked her. Proof? Ever since July, he's been violent and callous. The Shadow Dragon Slayer became the second best fighter in Sabertooth. And when a mage last week drank so much beer he insulted her, the guy was put in the infirmary for the remainder of the month. Compliments of Rogue Cheney.

"She likes me—" Lector froze, and for a moment, Sting thought that his Exceed friend noticed that he had climbed a tree. But then Lector began to bawl.

"Lector, what's wrong?" Sting rushed to grab his cat from the tree when he saw the plucked flower in his paw.

One petal left.

"She hates me!" Lector sniffed.

"Lector...don't bet everything on a dumb flower."

"Huh?"

Sting grabbed Lector from the tree branch, setting him on the ground as the White Dragon Slayer knelt down. "So what if the flower says she hates you? That doesn't mean that you can't make her like you," he said. Anything to cheer up his Exceed.

"Fro thinks Sting's right," Frosch agreed.

"Of course Sting-kun's right!" Lector quickly switched back to his normal self, scolding Frosch. "He's never wrong about a thing!"

_If only Rogue could do that_, Sting thought. "Now who's the lucky cat lady, Lector?"

* * *

"P-choo!" Vóreia wiped her nose with a tissue.

"Bless you!" A female mage shouted.

Nodding in acknowledgement, Vóreia got back to her journal.

_Last I heard from Lector, Rogue's personality had fallen into darkness. He's rude, sadistic, callous—he's become just like the rest of the people in his guild._

_Some new faces appeared at the guild over the past months. I barely paid attention to them, so pardon my rudeness. But I can name one who is hard to forget. If you're watching over me...I think you would know._

"Hey, listen up, ladies!"

All female heads turned in the direction of the bar, where a green-haired woman stood. Master Avia.

"The Grand Magic Games are next week!" Avia announced. "I know last year's games didn't leave good memories for us." She glanced in the direction of Vóreia, who now slumped her head with depression clouds over her. "But we're going to work extra hard this year! I'll reveal this year's representatives for our guild."

The ladies of Mermaid Heel listened the sound of their own breathing, waiting for Avia to say someone's name. Anyone's.

"Kagura!"

_As expected_, Vóreia thought.

"Millianna!"

"Me-ow~!" The cat mage squealed.

"Beth! Arania!"

"Feels just like last year," Beth said.

"Our last contender..."

* * *

"The Grand Magic Games? Again?"

The team had already been chosen: the same members from last year.

"I couldn't care less," Rogue said simply, walking away from the rest of the team.

Once his back disappeared out the door, Sting, Rufus, and Orga relaxed considerably.

"What happened to that guy? He's a living time bomb now!" Orga set his feet on the coffee table. Doing so prompted Rufus to swipe his teacup away from the man's foot. "Can't say anything around him without worrying for my life!"

"My thoughts are the same." The Memory-Make wizard sipped his tea while watching the door carefully, as if expecting Rogue to march in. "He's become quite hot-headed."

"What? I demand you tell me their name!"

The remainder of Team Sabertooth glanced at Minerva, who was currently facing the Commmunication Lacrima.

"How dare they hang up?" Minerva stormed back to the lounge. "Crocus Gardens has already been reserved," she fumed.

"By who?" Rufus asked curiously.

"The name was never given," Minerva snapped.

* * *

_Life doesn't stop for anyone. I always thought that if you died, the world would stop. In actuality...no one is needed. We're so small and insignificant...that life continues on as if nothing happened. But even if life doesn't need us...there were people who needed you. Always...forever._

_—Vóreia Polaris_

Vóreia couldn't help but smile when she spelled out her full name. That was the name Glacia had given her when she hatched. When her partner had been five.

Closing her journal, Vóreia flew over to the bookshelf, sliding it in with other books and novels. Sighing sadly to herself, she flew back to the bed she once shared with Glacia.

_P.s.—Did I mention how scary Platina is?_


	3. Chapter 3

**We are about to take a look at what Rogue's been thinking of since the incident from Tiamat. A new face will introduce themself, and soon you'll see why I came up with the chapter name.**

**Make sure to review afterwards!**

Chapter 3

**Deceiving Eyes**

* * *

Crocus again. The Flower Blooming Capital, and the city of sadness, in Vóreia's mind.

One thing caught her attention: the castle was rebuilt.

_How could they?_ Vóreia thought furiously. _How could they do that?_

The train came to a stop. While everybody else rushed out, Vóreia remained seated. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay in the safe atmosphere of the train. Anything to keep from having to go back out there.

It was in this city that Vóreia lost her best friend...this very city where Glacia was murdered. And where her body was lost.

"Vóreia." Risley stood before her, snapping her fingers to get her attention.

"...I don't want to go..." she mumbled.

"We don't want to either," the slim gravity mage said. "But we have to."

"Did they have to?" Vóreia pointed her paw out the window. "Did they have to rebuild the castle? Right over..." She choked on a sob.

Risley held the split-tailed cat close to her. If she closed her eyes, Vóreia could pretend it was Glacia comforting her. But there was a difference: Glacia was cool to the touch, Risley was warm. "I know...but we can't do a thing about it," Risley said.

* * *

The Luxembourg, 7:55 PM

"I can't believe we've been reduced to staying in some second class hotel," Orga grumbled.

"It was the best after Crocus Gardens. What choice did we have?" Rufus pointed out. "Besides, you're not the only one with complaints. On the other hand, I think it's quite charming."

"Well, that's you. But some of us have to share rooms!"

"Now I remember." Rufus produced four key cards with the same number. "We were assigned a penthouse suite. The lady has hers. Now I just have to find Sting and Rogue."

Orga sputtered. "You mean we have to share a suite with the ass—"

Rufus slapped a hand on Orga's mouth, an alarmed look on his delicate face as he looked around the corners. His gaze lingered a little longer on shadows.

"I know I'm paranoid," Rufus admitted after removing his hand. "But Rogue scares the hell out of me now."

"The lady doesn't seem to mind. Only as long as he continues to show them who's the top guild," Orga said.

"Since he's not here, I can say this without fear of death. I wonder where he gets his demonic strength from."

"The last guy who asked him that got a dislocated jaw," Orga snickered.

Rufus smiled. "I remember."

* * *

Frosch covered his mouth. "Lector likes someone," he laughed.

"You're all grown up," Sting sighed, shaking his head.

"Hey! You promised not to laugh, Sting-kun!" Lector yelled while holding a purple rose in his hands. Why? He considered blue, but blue would remind the Exceed of his dreams of her former partner's eyes. White was even worse. That was the color of Glacia's hair, and her magic.

Within the crowd, Lector spotted two tails waving like prayer flags in the wind. "There she is!"

Two angelic wings sprouted, and Lector flew off. "Wish me luck!"

Sting pretended to sniff. "He grew up so fast."

"Are you done, Sting?"

Scowling, and slightly annoyed, Sting faced his now cold-hearted partner with the usual cocky smirk.

* * *

After promising to meet back at Siren's Tears, Vóreia wandered aimlessly around the city, trying her best not to be disgusted by the happy faces around her. They had no idea of what was sacrificed to let them have this life. What it cost an entire guild and some people to preserve this peace.

Clutching her purse close to her, Vóreia flew past the market square, trying her best not to look at the ice cream shop.

"Oi! Vóreia!"

Vóreia turned around. Approaching her quickly, Lector halted in midair with a purple rose in his hands. "Lector..."

"I just got away from Sting and Frosch. They wouldn't stop making fun of me for buying this," the Sabertooth Exceed panted. Not a complete lie. But Vóreia ate it up nontheless.

* * *

It was bad enough back at the hotel when he had to listen to his guild's complaints about their lodgings. But going outside was even worse! True, he disliked loud noises. But the one thing that ticked Rogue off was _ignorance._

Every person they walked past had a smiling face, with absolutely no clue as to who saved their lives at the price of her own.

_She never deserved it, _he thought angrily, his knuckles turning white. _She never deserved to have to hide a monster in her. She never deserved a life where she was seen as a murderer. She never deserved to die for these people!_

All of that pent up anger began to build up dangerously. After Glacia's death, the world was no longer bright as day. Now he saw the world that Glacia was forced to live: darkness, solitude, despair. Nearly everyday, Rogue lashed out at someone, as if punishing them for her punishment.

That rage kept boiling within him. Before last year, he could easily diffuse his own anger, but no longer. He wanted it; he enjoyed it, enjoyed the rush and explosive power it gave him. Rogue wanted something to hit—something to take his anger out on. _Now._

Sting knew the look in his partner's eyes all too well. Knew exactly when it started; knew what had caused it; and how to diffuse it in two different ways. If only the second were possible. He shrugged mentally, wishing that Glacia was alive. Rogue would go back to his calm, indifferent, gentle self instead of being like this.

But right now, he had a partner to pacify, and the best way to do that was easy. In three, two, one—

"I look forward to kicking your asses, puppies!" Sting yelled towards four random Quatro Cerberus mages.

"Psh! As if!" One of them flipped him off. "You guys couldn't even hold a candle to Fairy Tail last year!"

Sting smirked widely, preparing his bait. "And that's coming from the puppies who ran with their tails between their legs from the mermaids!"

"Those sluts are gonna rue the day they messed with us!" Another called, placing a foot on a flowerbox. "We'll show them! They'll pay with their lives for what their murdering brat did to our members!"

Now in his mind, Sting congratulated himself on his excellent fishing skills. He could throw an insult out, and reel in a fight within seconds.

"...what was that?"

Sting didn't bother to look beside him. He simply shrugged, smirking at Quatro Cerberus as his partner stepped up, the epitome of the calm before the storm. "I could've sworn you said something...can you repeat yourself?" Rogue asked with a threatening undertone.

"The kid deserved to die, she's had it coming to her for a long time!" The mage taunted stupidly.

Rogue vanished into darkness, reappearing next to the idiotic mage. Taking hold of his throat, the Shadow Dragon Slayer slammed the Quatro Cerberus mage against a wall, knocking him out instantly. By the time Rogue let him go, his opponent had foam around his mouth.

"Sting, don't interfere." Rogue glared at the remainder of the Quatro Cerberus quartet. "They're mine."

Sting cackled at the leader of the quartet, leaning in closer as if to share a secret with that same smirk on his face. "You, sir, are about to have your ass handed to you—_royally."_

* * *

"Come on, we don't need to see that," Lector said, taking Vóreia's paw and leading her away from the fight.

"Is Rogue still—"

"It's even worse now that we're in Crocus," he explained.

They bumped into a person, causing Vóreia's purse to fall, spilling its contents. A wallet, a journal, a pen, and a hand mirror. The mirror remained intact.

"Oh no!" Vóreia landed on the ground, gathering her stuff back into her purse. A bookmark from her journal slipped out, flying with the summer breeze before Lector caught it. As he did, the "bookmark" wasn't a bookmark at all, but a photo.

A very pretty white-haired girl with large blue eyes smiled back at Lector, as if the photographer from long ago had done something to make her laugh. Long hair travelled down her back, reaching the girl's waist like a white river. Dressed in a simple, but elegant white sundress, the only words Lector could find to define this girl: beautiful, serene, a knockout.

"That's Glacia when she had long hair," Vóreia informed when she found her precious photo in Lector's hands.

"R-really?" Lector cried, inspecting the photo again. Yes, now he could see it. Most of her bangs covered the left side of her face, but the hair and eye color should have tipped him off immediately. _She looks so pretty_, he thought.

"Thank you," she said, taking the photo back.

"Oh—did I say that out loud?" he mumbled.

* * *

A street vendor displayed his merchandise proudly, watching a young lady admire the items.

"Vat's zis?" A hand reached out to hold a small plastic backed makeup mirror. Its shape reminded the lady of the Communication Lacrima in her pocket. "It feels like there's magic to zis."

"There is!" The vendor exclaimed. "But as to what—"

The girl brought the mirror close to her right ear when a blast of magic struck the accessory. It bounced off, returning to its dealer, leaving both the vendor and the lady shaken up. The mirror remained intact, though steaming at the impact. She turned her head slightly towards the man. "Sir..."

The young woman slapped a wad of Jewels onto his cashbox, walking away. "My satisfaction," she called.

* * *

The last conscious mage of Quatro Cerberus was slammed against the concrete pavement, an armored boot on the poor man's head as Rogue leaned closer. "Care to eat your words?" he hissed.

A large crowd had formed around the fight, money changing hands frequently. When it became clear that the Quatro Cerberus mage would not retract his words, Rogue took his foot off of the man's head, only to deliver a swift kick to his ribs. The underdog groaned, holding his stomach as he curled into a ball, coughing up blood.

"All right, people, you've seen what Sabertooth is capable of. Now scram," Sting called.

Chatting amiably amongst themselves, the crowd began to disperse.

That was when Rogue saw her.

As the audience cleared away, a girl with long white hair and large blue eyes, dressed in a simple white dress, met his gaze. All he could think was, If her hair was shorter, she'd look exactly like—

_Glacia._

As soon as he opened his mouth, the Glacia look-alike ran off, her two braids waving wildly in the air.

There were so many questions running through his head, but nowhere to start. "Wait—"

Someone behind him clapped slowly, mockingly. "Vell done, Herr Cheney. You hardly broke a sweat vith ze dogs."

Rogue spun around scowling at the guest.

A pale, slim, eighteen year old woman smirked back at him. Short ink black hair topped her head, with her bangs covering the left side of her face. She had a sharp facial structure, but her eyes were a mystery due to the shiny black sunglasses placed before them. Her outfit consisted of a dark blue tube top, a pair of dark-washed denim minishorts, and dark thigh-high boots. Over the outfit was a short black trench coat that flared out at her waist.

"Then again, anyone vould be able to take out these puppies in seconds. Vat you did vas nothing special," she continued.

Sting immediately got into an offensive stance. "You're talking to the strongest Dragon Slayers of the strongest guild. Care to take your words back?"

The sinister looking girl threw her head back and laughed. "_Strongest_? Mein foot! You couldn't even hold a candle to that dragon girl last year—Grace Patton, vasn't it?" she taunted.

Okay, now Sting was certain that this lady with the foreign accent had a death wish.

On cue, Rogue stepped forward in rage. "That's Glacia Patin!" he snarled.

"And you vould know, vouldn't you? Vat vere you? Her older brother?" The lady leaned in closer, smirking. "A _lover_, even?" she sneered.

Rushing forward, Rogue aimed a Shadow Dragon's Slash at the woman. His attack passed through her, and the tip of a curved sickle touched his throat.

_How?_ Rogue thought as he glanced at the sinister girl's smirking face._ I didn't even see her move!_

"Aha!" The woman behind him removed the weapon from his jugular, tossing it into the air before she caught it again as she calmly walked away. "So the great Herr Cheney is a pedophile!"

She spun around, her sickle in one hand while she raised her right arm, a smoke bomb within her hand. "You only stayed number vun because last year's games vere cancelled. But Sabertooth vill die. Call me Silver, but your tongues vill be cut out once you do."

Silver threw the smoke bomb onto the ground, and silver smoke erupted where she stood. Once it dissipated, she was gone.

* * *

The Luxembourg, 11:59 PM

Team Sabertooth was assembled back at the Luxembourg. Sting glanced at Rogue carefully, knowing that he was still thinking about their encounter with the sinister lady Silver.

_She'll pay, _he thought.

"Ladies and gents! Wizards of all genders and ages! Welcome to the preliminary round of the X792 Grand Magic Games, pumpkin!" Mato's familiar voice sounded throughout the entire city. "If you would all step outside, I can explain the round better, pumpkin!"

Within Crocus, the guilds of Fiore stepped out of their lodgings. Team members looked at each other in confusion.

* * *

From Lamia Scale's lodgings, a person whose back was visible sighed. "Must I?"

"Obaba's orders," Yuka said. "That or you have to spin for the rest of the week."

* * *

"Here's how the eight teams will be chosen, pumpkin! All around the city, there are flags with your guild's crest on it. Find your guild's, and make a beeline for Domus Flau. You will not be counted unless all five members are present at the arena!" The hologram of Mato announced.

"Just one flag will be easy to find," Minerva judged. "Rogue, you'll hunt for our flag."

A simple nod.

"One more thing!" Mato added, a grin on the hologram's face. "There are hundreds of flags scattered around the city. You must—and I mean MUST—collect five flags with your guild insignia in order to pass!"

"_Five_?" That one number could be heard throughout the city collectively.

"That's right, pumpkin! So all five members must participate! Happy hunting, and let the games begin!"

* * *

**Life hasn't been easy on our dear Rogue, has it? What made it worse was that life decided to mock him with a Glacia look-alike.**

**So which team will make it first? And what guild is the mysterious and sinister Silver part of?**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Old Grudges, New Faces**

* * *

"W~elcome to the opening of the first day of the X792 Grand Magic Games!" The audience rumbled, holding up handmade signs supporting their favorite guilds. "Starring your charming reporter, Chapati Lola!" Chapati winked.

"Our commentator, Yajima-san!"

"Hello again," Yajima greeted, nodding.

"And our guest judge, our reporter from Sorcerer Magazine, Jason!"

"This is so COOL!" Jason cheered.

"Everyone is here," Chapati said. "Now let's introduce this year's competing guilds starting with eighth place in the preliminaries!"

The stadium grew silent, listening for the name of the underdogs.

"Hellhounds of Hades, give it up for Quatro Cerberus!"

An arm lifted a gourd into the air as Bacchus led his team in. "Wild..."

"Four!" Team Quatro Cerberus roared.

"Ehh..." Some sounds of disappointment, and then the crowd hesitantly cheered. Why?

Semmes was covered head to toe in bandages; Rocker had an eye patch; Bacchus was even limping! It looked as though Yeager and War Cry were the only people uninjured—until Yeager opened his mouth, revealing two missing teeth.

"Um—cool?" Jason tried.

"O-kay, let's move on to seventh place," Chapati sweated. "Hopefully, they're not too disfigured," he muttered. Unfortunately, his microphone caught his words.

"Hey!" Yeager yelled indignantly.

"The azure wings that soar through heaven's heights! Blue Pegasus!"

Hibiki strode in, his arm linked with Jenny's. Eve winked at the crowd, causing an eruption of female cries. Ren looked away, muttering something about not like he had a choice.

Ichiya...no had to take a wild guess.

Once Team Blue Pegasus reached their spot, they assumed their pose: arms crossed, ring and pinky fingers bent as their index, middle, and thumbs stayed up.

"Jenny is so COOL!"

"Sixth place: their delicate wings have finally taken flight! Fairy Tail!"

Flames erupted in a line as Natsu, Erza, Gray, Wendy, and Lucy marched in. An encore of cheers exploded within the crowd.

"They're cheering for us this time," Lucy said.

"Wendy-chan!" Eve began to drift off into his own little world. "It's been too long!"

"We won't let them down then," Gray decided. "The games were cancelled last year. This year, we'll show Sabertooth."

Lucy covered her eyes just as Wendy turned red. "Gray, your clothes," she muttered.

"What—gah!" Gray hastily gathered his clothes, putting them back on.

"Fifth place! One wing can't take off without its twin! Please welcome Fairy Tail B!"

Laxus stormed in, his fur jacket billowing behind him. Freed followed suit, his arms crossed even though Mirajane tried to tell him to lighten up. Gajeel simply shrugged, and Juvia literally floated when she caught sight of her beloved Gray.

"That's how it's done in Fairy Tail!" Makarov boomed from the stands. "But how'd they get fifth?" he said to himself.

"Fairy Tail is COOL!"

"I didn't think you'd fall behind," Erza said, astonished that the group that earned second place last year had gotten fifth place.

"We were just as surprised as you," Mirajane said sweetly, looking as though she didn't mind.

"Then by elimination, Sabertooth, Lamia, and Mermaid have to be among the top four," Lucy reasoned.

"That's if they made it," Freed added.

"They made it, all right," Gajeel grunted. "But the fourth guild..."

"Now that you mention it...do you think Twilight Ogre made it?" Wendy asked.

Laxus coughed abruptly, though he did a poor job of hiding a snicker. Gajeel laughed while Mirajane whispered to Wendy, "Let's just say Quatro Cerberus looks healthy compared to them."

"Can it, will ya? You won't believe who came in fourth," Gajeel chortled.

"Oh my! This is a shocker! In fourth place—_Sabertooth!"_

"Ehh?!" The teams and the audience gaped as Team Sabertooth entered. It looked as though they were not happy with their current predicament. And they weren't.

From the stands, their guild master scowled at the team, displeased with their result.

"C-c-cool?"

Yeager cackled, which drew Rogue's attention to the mage. Seeing his death glare, Yeager and the rest of Quatro Cerberus hid behind Bacchus, cowering.

Sting covered his mouth as a wave of snickers hit him hard. Even though Sabertooth was in fourth place, they had been there when Team Quatro Cerberus came in. Only two mages had been conscious, the rest had been beaten quite badly by Rogue and apparently some other guild. Bacchus and War Cry had to carry their team mates on their backs!

* * *

"Third place! Love and war's holy warriors! Lamia Scale!"

"You did better than last year, but it's not enough!" Ooba screamed.

"Can't you at least be happy for them?" Sherry asked.

"Of course I'm pleased," the old lady chuckled to herself. "This year's team will lead us to victory."

* * *

"Hey, did that doggish dude change his look?" Natsu pointed to the one unfamiliar person on Team Lamia Scale.

Suddenly, a head from the Lamia Scale section grew in size. "How could you be so stupid!" Toby yelled at the top of his lungs.

"So it's not him," Gray said. "Lyon, who's the guy next to you?"

Lyon shrugged. "Gray, you're as hopeless as your Dragon Slayer!"

"What!" Gray got into position as Lyon did the same. Until the new member stretched his arm out in front of Lyon to stop him.

"We have an example to set for the master. You can fight later," he reminded.

Ears twitched, Rogue recognized that voice all too well. Spiky tan hair, matching eyes... though the man wore clothes that resembled what a ninja trainee would wear—a black v-neck shirt, a fishnet shirt, dark pants, sandals— he recognized that bandaged right arm.

In the stands, Vóreia shook in anger. She knew that mystery person. She knew that arm—and that slash scar on his right cheek...

"Dobengal?" Orga rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't daydreaming.

The ninja trainee mock saluted him in greeting. "Long time, no see."

"You!" Rogue took a step towards the man who murdered the girl they loved—even though Glacia only harbored feelings for one of them.

"Uh-oh! Sabertooth and Lamia Scale are about to have a go!"

"COOL!"

But a wall of silver sand formed between Lamia and Sabertooth, separating the guilds.

"You had your fill last night. You have to throw a tantrum here too, Herr Cheney?"

The only person who called him _Herr_ was the girl from yesterday. That meant—

"In second place! Our lovely ladies of the deep blue: Mermaid Heel!"

Silver sand poured out, dancing around Team Mermaid Heel. Team Quatro Cerberus glared at the females, until they saw Rogue's gaze on them.

The sand between Lamia Scale and Sabertooth returned to a flask that Silver held out. Once every grain of silver sand flowed back in, she screwed the flask shut. "Can you at least _try_ to keep your Dragon Slayer on a leash, Fräulein Minerva?" Silver taunted.

At the same time one of Minerva's hands flexed dangerously, Rufus sucked in a breath as Orga chortled, "She's screwed."

"Silver sand is COOL!"

"I don't like the looks of that chick," Laxus muttered.

Natsu tilted his head. "She's wearing sunglasses. What does she look like?"

"Idiot! He meant it in a suspicious way!" Freed defended angrily.

"And last but certainly not least! First place—"

"You remember what I told you about a new guild in Fiore?" Jura muttered to his new comrade.

"Yes," Dobengal replied. "Every word."

"Oh? We have a new guild competing for the first time! Please give a warm welcome to IMPERIAL SNOW!"

"WHAT?!"

Five cloaked figures entered the arena, one of them held their guild flag proudly over their head. There was no way to discern even one's identity.

"But they're a guild on the continent!" Vóreia cried. "What are they doing here?"

"Glacia and Vóreia's old guild...that's them, isn't it?" Millianna said.

"What's your old guild doing here?" Yuka hissed to Dobengal.

"Um, yes, we realize everyone is confused," Chapati stammered. "Over ten months ago, Imperial Snow asked to be become an official guild of Fiore. Of course, we had to do background checks because of a past event. But they became a legal guild!"

"So if they're legal, then they're not dark, right?" Yajima asked. "For a new guild, they've done quite well!"

"Cool! Imperial Snow is so cool!" Jason screamed.

"Can't you tell who they are?" Lyon whispered.

"If I could, I would," Dobengal hissed back. "However, with five of them, four of them have to be Imperial Guardians."

"Imperial Guardians?" Chelia wondered.

"They're S-Class mages and the top four fighters under the guild master. Glacia used to be part of them: the Imperial Guardian of the North."

"North? So I'm right if I say the others are East, West, and South?" Yuka asked.

"Absolutely."

"I'll hand the responsiblities off to our referee, Mato!"

"We're back, pumpkin! And here's the schedule!" A large slab erupted out of the ground.

**Day 1:** Hawk Eye & Battle  
**Day 2: **? & Battle  
**Day 3: **? & Battle  
**Day 4: **? & Tag Battle  
**Day 5:** ?  
**Day 6: **?  
**Day 7:** ?

"And now, will the contenders for Hawk Eye step up?" Mato called.

* * *

"From the name..." Bisca started.

"It makes us wish we had entered," Alzack sweated.

* * *

"Um...I want to try," Wendy said nervously, except Natsu was louder.

"Can I go? Please please!"

"Why don't you go, Wendy?" Erza encouraged, having heard the little Dragon Slayer.

"What? Why can't—"

"Natsu, you will allow Wendy to compete!" A fiery aura surrounded Erza, one that even her team mates backed away from.

**Fairy Tail A:** Wendy Marvell

"A-aye," Natsu sweated.

"Sucks that Salamander's not going." Gajeel stepped up, smirking. "I'm gonna go anyway, gihihi..."

**Fairy Tail B:** Gajeel Redfox

"I'll go—"

Minerva held out her arm to stop Rogue. "Not you. Rufus, why don't you go?"

Rogue scowled, but held his tongue. He knew better than to go against Minerva.

**Sabertooth:** Rufus Lohr

One of the hooded figures of Imperial Snow inclined his head towards another. "The cloak is no longer necessary, Sasori."

Nodding, the man called Sasori threw his cloak into the air. He was rather tall with dark purple hair on his head, streaked with venomous blue highlights. It appeared as though life couldn't decide between blue or purple, as his eyes differed from each other. His appearance was not unlike a Roman gladiator's—a chestplate, gladiator sandals, and fortunately, he had pants instead of an long tunic.

**Imperial Snow:** Sasori

"Imperial Guardian of the West, Sasori," Dobengal murmured. "He's quite fond of using poisons."

"If it's poison, I should go," Shelia reasoned. "I can heal myself if he attacks me."

"No." Dobengal stepped up. "I'll go. I have a score to settle with Sasori."

**Lamia Scale:** Dobengal

"My perfume will accurately lead us to victory~!" Ichiya declared. "Men~!"

**Blue Pegasus**: Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki

"Go, sensei!" Hibiki cheered.

"That's senpai for you!" Eve and Ren applauded.

"I'll take this! We'll take the lead!"

"Wild!"

"FOUR!"

**Quatro Cerberus:** Yeager

"I don't think Quatro Mutts had a choice. Just look at their members!" Arania snickered. "They won't last a minute in battle!"

"Judging by the name, we need someone with sharpshooting—" Beth was cut off.

"I'll go," her newest team mate said. "Victory vill be ours."

**Mermaid Heel:** Platina Gaci

"So that's her real name? Platina?" Sting wondered out loud.

"Will everyone step on this warp panel, pumpkin?" Mato asked, standing on a large blue tile. "We'll be on our way to the game field."

"You mean, it won't be here?" Wendy said.

"No, no, pumpkin. Domus Flau is much too small."

* * *

The competitors were at the edge of the city, near the stables.

"It's been too long, Dobengal." The mage turned to face Sasori, who held a hand out.

Not one to disregard manners, he shook his former comrade's hand. "Sasori."

"If I recall correctly, Vóreia and Glacia joined Mermaid Heel, yes? Where's our dear Princess Glacia? She would never give up a sharpshooting contest."

Wincing, Dobengal looked away, biting his lip.

"You just missed her. She's dead." Yeager jumped down from the fence, which surprisingly held his weight. "Of course, no one complained when he killed her." He pointed to Dobengal. "By the way, thanks! You helped the world by getting rid of that psychotic dragon princess!"

* * *

Half of Domus Flau was in uproar.

Quatro Cerberus was cheering their comrade on. Mermaid Heel was screaming in outrage.

"How dare that bastard!" Arania screamed.

Hands twitching, they quickly balled up into fists surrounded by shadows.

* * *

"Take it back."

"Sorry?" Yeager tilted his head.

"Take everything back." Dobengal stepped forward. "True, Glacia Patin was a host for something she never agreed to welcome. But insulting a fallen comrade of mine—right in front of me—that's something I don't forgive very easily."

* * *

_You're the person who murdered her!_ Vóreia thought furiously.

_Like you have any room to talk, Dobengal,_ Rogue thought.

"Uh-um, it looks like a fight between Lamia and Cerberus might start soon!"

* * *

"What's the best you can do with that arm?" Yeager pointed to Dobengal's right arm.

"Why you—!"

Platina stretched her arm out to stop him. "I must be completely honest," Platina said. "I never knew Glacia. Her age, her appearance, not even her personality. But I know how important she vas to my comrades. And I know," Platina stepped up, standing just a few feet away from Yeager. "It is my guild you insulted."

"But...I seldom hold grudges against anyvun. So please, vill you forgive Glacia if I overlook vat you just said?" she asked politely.

* * *

For a moment, the world stopped. The other contestants, the referee, and the audience at Domus Flau watched the representatives of the two guilds.

"Did she hit her head too hard?" Risley muttered.

"Fine by me," Yeager said on the Lacrima Vision.

* * *

Platina smiled. With sunglasses, it looked slightly out of place. "Oh, good. For a moment, I thought you vould refuse. Shall we shake?"

"Uh, sure." Yeager held his right arm out. But Platina grabbed it with her left hand.

Holding Yeager's wrist in a vicegrip, Platina forced him to his knees as her right arm came down with a slim stick in its grasp. The end of the rod jabbed a spot on Yeager's arm that caused him to yell out in pain.

"P-p-pumpkin!"

"Men~! What are you doing?" Ichiya exclaimed.

"Oi! Can you hold off the violence? We have a squirt here!" Gajeel barked as he spun Wendy around.

"I don't care—" Platina's sunglasses glinted dangerously. "—if you forgive me. You never knew Glacia. Never speak as if you did!"

"Argh—ow! It hurts!" Yeager grinded his teeth, wishing he had a bullet.

"It should," Platina spat. She added more pressure to the spot where she had jabbed. "This is the meridian valve. It protects the heart and sexual organs." She applied more force to the pressure point. "But if I press any harder, this arm vill be paralyzed! Say another vord against her and you'll lose more than this pathetic twig!"

"Arg—aih! OWCH! Stop it, will ya?"

"Take it back!"

"Huh—aghh!" Yeager screamed as Platina pressed the spot to the point where it bled.

"Take vat you said about Glacia being a psychotic dragon princess back this instant!" Platina prompted.

"Like hell I—aaaiiee! I'm sorry I called Glacia a psychotic dragon princess!" Yeager squeaked, trying to grab for Platina's hand to force her to release him. But it drove the foreign mage to press down on the pressure point so the end of the stick was soaked in blood. "Ow! I really do! I didn't mean a single word! What was I thinking?"

Platina, eyes narrowed, twisted the rod, sending more pain waves up Yeager's arm. "Argh! And I'm sorry, Mermaid Heel!"

Satisfied, Platina removed the rod. Yeager sighed in relief, but forgot that she still held his arm. With incredible strength, Platina flipped him over, causing him to land on his back on a wagon.

* * *

"W-wild—I think?" War Cry said, scared for his life.

"Yeah, Platina! Show those mutts who's the top dog!" Arania yelled.

"Spunky, knows how to kick ass—just my type," Laxus murmured to himself.

* * *

"H-holy crap, pumpkin," Mato sweated.

"She certainly knows how to be remembered," Rufus admitted.

"That was awesome," Gajeel muttered.

Wendy attempted to peek. "I-is it all ov—"

"No!" he barked.

Brushing imaginary dust off her hands, Platina turned back to Mato, who cringed. "Vell, sir? Aren't you going to explain the game?"

* * *

**Literally, Platina means 'little silver' or 'platinum'. And the part about the meridian valve...I learned that from a Korean drama called Horse Doctor.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**The Silver Witch**

* * *

"Are you sure?"

Lahar marched into the prison, where Anti-Magic Cells hovered around in the circular room.

"Positive, Lahar-sama," a humanoid amphibian guard said as Lahar stepped onto a hovercraft. Lifting into the air, the machine stopped in front of a certain cell, where blood stained the prism-like walls.

"Dear God," Lahar murmured, covering his mouth at the sight before him.

Inside the Anti-Magic Cell, Cobra of Oracion Seis lay motionless, his hands pressed against the inner walls. Blood stained his skin and clothes as it did inside the cell. His torso had been carved open, forcing Lahar to look away from the gruesome scene.

"He was found in this state this morning," the guard continued, floating next to the cell. "The doctors determined that the attack must have occurred last night. The other prisoners confirmed that too, saying that they heard screams from this cell as they slumbered."

Some small spark lit up within the leader. If the other prisoners heard the attack, surely they must have seen the attacker.

"Unfortunately, Lahar-sama, the lights were off during the attack, the Surveillance Lacrima confirmed this," the guard grudgingly admitted.

"I see." In truth, he didn't. He didn't know how this had happened right under their noses. Not even an inkling as to why this occurred.

"Leads."

"S-sir?"

"Do we have any leads as to who the culprits are? Or their motives?" Lahar prompted.

"N-no, sir," the amphibious guard stammered. "B-but, we have been watching the markets..."

"What for?"

"Well, Cobra of Oracion Seis was a Second Generation Dragon Slayer. His source of power was a valuable Dragon Lacrima."

* * *

_~Crocus~_

"Um, right, pumpkin," Mato sweated, as Yaeger got back on his feet. The Quatro Cerberus mage edged away from Platina considerably. "Look around yourselves, pumpkin."

Where there had once been buckets and ropes, archery bows and quivers of arrows of different styles rested against the storage shed. A man brought out four horses, prompting Mato to rush over. The two began to bicker, and Gajeel caught something about sick horses.

"Ah, to heck with it. It's more challenging this way," Mato decided, shooing the man away. A Lacrima Vision appeared next to the referee. "All around the city, there are targets for you to hit with these." Mato held up a bow and arrow. "Twenty targets total. Hit as many as you can, and race back to Domus Flau. Of course, you get points for what place you enter, but the real points come from the targets you hit. For example—"

The pumpkin mascot pointed to the outer ring of the five circles on the target with an arrow. "If you hit here—" Mato jabbed the arrow into the outer ring. "You get two points. Here—" Into the next circle. "Four points. This one is six, second-to-last is eight, and the bull's-eye is ten points. Let's say one of you came in first with one hundred ninety-four points, add ten, and you have two hundred four all together. But the next person who comes in somehow hit the bull's-eye on every target, bringing them to two hundred eight points."

* * *

"If only I had gone," Lucy said to herself out loud. "Sagittarius would have been invincible."

"Thank goodness I didn't go..." Natsu's face turned green at the sight of the horses.

"They're _animals_, not vehicles!"

* * *

"So our goal isn't the finish line, it's the targets themselves," Wendy finished.

"Ding ding! Correct, pumpkin! And then we use the points you earned to determine which place you will receive!"

"Now when I give the signal, pick a bow and some arrows, get on a horse, and ride like the wind, pumpkin! And never look back!"

"Excuse me." Sasori motioned towards the horses. "There are eight of us, but only four horses."

"That's the best part, pumpkin!" Mato grinned like a child with a new toy. "Only four people get horses._ Which_ four is up to how fast you are."

The contestants looked at each other, each having the same message in their eyes—maybe not Gajeel. He was perfectly fine without the equestrian.

"I almost forgot! You may use what you have to sabotage another person's shot at a target or affect their speed, pumpkin!"

Half the wizards got a mad gleam in their eye.

"In three, two, _one_!" A gun went off. "Hawk Eye has begun!"

"Let's go!" Archery bows were snatched, as were arrow quivers, but a fight broke out over the horses. Gajeel, on the other hand, walked off, nocking his first arrow but with no target in sight.

Sasori nabbed the first horse and rode off, nocking his arrow into the bowstring as the first target came into view. Just as he was about to let the arrow fly—

His horse reared on its legs when Rufus sent a spell in the form of a wolf, messing up his shot. Sasori's arrow hit the third ring.

**Sasori:** 6

"You!"

"My turn," Rufus said as his horse caught up to the first target. His arrow flew, but a glowing knife broke it before it could ever hit.

"Nice one, Dobengal!" Sasori grinned as the Sabertooth mage's horse continued its trek. The masked mage glared at his former guild mate as he was forced to ride off.

**Rufus:** 0

"Hawk Eye, men!" Ichiya grabbed a tube of green perfume. "Eagle Eye Perfume—!" An iron throwing knife shattered the sharpshot perfume container. "Men~!"

"Gihi! It's every man for himself!" Gajeel gloated as he hit the bullseye.

**Gajeel:** 10

* * *

"Having a horse gives you speed," Chelia said. "But it decreases your chances of having a perfect shot. On the other hand, a person without a horse has a greater chance of accurately hitting the bull's-eye."

**Lamia Scale**: 20p  
**Imperial Snow**: 16p  
**Fairy Tail B**: 14p  
**Fairy Tail A**: 12p  
**Sabertooth**: 10p  
**Blue Pegasus**: 8p  
**Quatro Cerberus**: 6p  
**Mermaid Heel**: 0

"Though far behind in speed, Lamia's Dobengal has taken the lead!"

"What the heck are you doing, Platina?" Millianna shouted at the Lacrima Vision.

* * *

Platina picked up an archery bow, plucking the bowstring a few times. Frowning, she swapped it for a Japanese style bow, pulling the string back before releasing it. Smiling when it made a twang, she grabbed a quiver of arrows. "And to catch up..." Platina Gaci put her hands together. "Silver-Make—"

* * *

"Creation Magic?" Lyon cried as a silver magic circle appeared.

"_Stallion!"_

A stunning, silver stallion burst forth, tossing its mane back. Platina leapt into the air, landing on the silver saddle. The steed, rearing on its hind legs, rode off with its creator and rider.

"Mermaid Heel's Platina has entered the fray!" Chapati yelled. "And what an entrance!"

"Cool! Silver is so cool!"

* * *

**Quatro Cerberus:** 48p

Yaeger, ready to prove himself even without a horse, pulled the string back, the arrow in place. His hand prepared to let the arrow fly loose—

—when suddenly, his right arm refused to obey. The arrow fell from his grasp, clattering against the pavement.

* * *

"What's going on? Yaeger isn't shooting!" War Cry pointed to the Lacrima Vision.

"C'mon, Yaeger! Your soul is always wild!"

"Four!"

"No, he _can't_ shoot!" Yuka exclaimed. "He's paralyzed!"

* * *

The Silver-Make witch's words came back to Yaeger.

_"This is the meridian valve. It protects the heart and sexual organs. But if I press any harder, this arm vill be paralyzed!"_

"I can't move!" Yaeger tried to bend his right index finger, hoping he was dreaming. But not one part of his right arm obeyed his command. "She f-f-roze—m-me..."

* * *

Platina nocked her first arrow, pulling it back as she aimed behind herself at the first target. The silver horse leaped over a wall, and her arrow soared.

_Thunk!_ The arrow shaft was stuck in the bull's-eye.

**Mermaid Heel:** 10p

Platina drew another arrow back, releasing it almost instantly. Another perfect hit.

**Mermaid Heel:** 20p

"You need to catch up!" Risley called.

"Let's check up on the group ahead!" Chapati announced. The Lacrima Vision zoomed in on Rufus, in the lead with 179 points.

"One target left!" His arrow flew, hitting the bullseye.

"And he's done it! Rufus of Sabertooth comes in first!"

**Sabertooth:** 198p

"Catching up to him is Lamia Scale's Dobengal, who, by the way, was a former mage of Sabertooth! With just one target left, can he oust Rufus from the top spot?"

**Lamia Scale**: 190p

Preparing to aim for the center, a violent wave of pain ran up his right arm. He released the arrow in reaction, hitting the two point mark.

**Lamia Scale**: 192p

* * *

"What happened? He was doing perfectly well!" Ooba yelled.

"It's his arm!" Chelia cried. "He's still experiencing spasms from that wound!"

"But look!" Yuka pointed at the scoreboard.

**Lamia Scale**: 200p

"Unbelievable! Lamia Scale beats Sabertooth by one point!"

"Lamia Scale is so cool!"

"Excellent! I knew he would do it!" Ooba gloated.

"Weren't you the one complaining—"

"Quiet or I'll make you spin in the corner!" Pointing her finger at Sherry, the Doll Play mage began to spin uncontrollably.

"Ehh?!"

"Next to come in is Sasori!"

**Imperial Snow**: 192+6= 198p

"Tied with Rufus, putting him in third place! But will he retain that position? Here comes Gajeel, with 170 points!"

"Out of arrows, so I'll use this!" Gajeel hurled an iron arrow towards the target. It cleanly split Rufus's arrow in half.

* * *

"Hey, he can't do that!" Orga suddenly began to doubt his words. "Can he?"

"Hey, he said you can use whatever to sabotage your opponent!" Laxus shouted back.

"Oh my! As Gajeel comes in with fourteen points added to his score, Rufus has ten points deducted!"

**Fairy Tail B**: 184p  
**Sabertooth**: 188p

"Here's the score so far!"

**Lamia Scale:** 200p  
**Imperial Snow**: 198p  
**Sabertooth:** 188p  
**Fairy Tail B**: 184p

* * *

"Here comes Wendy-tan of Fairy Tail A!"

**Fairy Tail A**: 170+6+3= 179p

"And Blue Pegasus' Ichiya!"

**Blue Pegasus**: 160+4+2= 166p

"As for Mermaid Heel and Quatro Pegasus!"

The Lacrima Vision checked up on Yaeger, who could only drag himself to the finish line as a way of retaining some dignity.

**Quatro Cerberus**: 48p

* * *

The silver steed raced past Yaeger. Platina, whose quiver of arrows was strapped around her hip, began to put three arrows in her mouth, nocking a fourth into the bowstring.

_Thunk!_ Another bullseye.

**Mermaid Heel:** 160p

"She keeps getting bullseyes on every target," Yajima said, impressed.

"But Platina is about to approach the triple targets. Can she make it?"

Coming into the silver mage's line of sight were three targets lined up vertically. Most of the arrows here only struck the six or two mark at best.

Platina grabbed the arrows in her mouth, nocking them into the bowstring.

"Three at once?" Beth exclaimed.

"She's not gonna make it," Lyon said.

"She will make it," Arania insisted, grinning. "Because she's Platina Gaci!"

_Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!_ One arrow for each target, all three arrows hit the center.

**Mermaid Heel:** 190p

"She made it!" Chapati couldn't believe it. Not one mage had shown such promising sharpshooting skills for so long.

"Cool! Platina is so cool!"

"The final target! But it's blocked by Gajeel's iron arrow!"

"I think the best she can earn is second or third place," Yajima added.

"Unfortunately for such a promising archer, I must agree with you, Yajima-san."

Platina put her hand into the quiver only to find that she had run out of arrows. "Silver-Make: Arrow!"

Pulling the bowstring back with the silver arrow in place, the silver mage released her creation on the last target.

Everything happened in slow motion.

The arrow soared towards the iron obstacle in its way. The judges stood from their seats; specatators rose; the teams regarded the Lacrima Vision closely; and the contestants beyond the finish line had to stand somewhere else to watch the arrow's flight.

_Clink! Thunk!_

Gajeel rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

The silver arrow had split through his iron one.

"COOL! COOL! **COOL!**"

"Amazing!" Chapati screamed into his microphone as Platina passed the finish line. "Mermaid Heel's Platina Gaci has split the iron arrow!"

**Mermaid Heel**: 190+10+1= 201p  
**Fairy Tail B**: 184-10= 174p

* * *

"She could be a match for Sagittarius," Lucy breathed.

"No way! Gajeel's iron is supposed to be stronger than silver!" Max called.

"Just who the hell—" Warren started.

"—is that chick?" Sting finished below.

* * *

"And with Quatro Cerberus' Yaeger unanimously bringing up the rear, that concludes Hawk Eye!"

The contestants were warped back to the arena.

"And the final score!" Mato pointed at the scoreboard.

**Mermaid Heel**: 201p = 10P  
**Lamia Scale**: 200p = 8P  
**Imperial Snow**: 198p = 6P  
**Sabertooth**: 188p = 4P  
**Fairy Tail A:** 179p = 3P  
**Fairy Tail B**: 174p = 2P  
**Blue Pegasus**: 166p = 1P  
**Quatro Cerberus**: 48p = 0P

"Of course, this is only the competition portion! These scores can change during the battle portion!"

"...I'm sorry I didn't get first," Wendy mumbled.

Erza patted her head. "No, you did well, Wendy."

"Yeah, you did better than Gajeel!" Natsu grinned.

* * *

At the same time, Laxus could only stare at Gajeel as he walked past. "What was that?"

"Thank you for your hard work, Gajeel," Mirajane said.

"Ah, will you shut up, Salamander?!" Gajeel roared at Natsu. The Iron Dragon Slayer walked away to nurse his injured pride.

"Please leave the arena for the contenders that are about to do battle! First up, Fairy Tail B's Gajeel Redfox—"

"Just leave me alone!" Gajeel barked.

"—versus Mermaid Heel's Platina Gaci!"

His team looked at Gajeel for his reaction. The Iron Dragon Slayer straightened up, turning his head with a grin on his face. "It's payback time, gihi!"

His opponent, Platina, smirked back at him.

* * *

Only three people stood in the arena: Gajeel, Platina, and the referee, Mato.

"Time to get revenge for my iron arrow," Gajeel said, cracking his knuckles.

"Ha!" Platina held her sickle in her hand so that the curved part faced Gajeel. "That _tinfoil_ vas yours? Splitting your arrow vas child's play!"

"Ooohhh!" The crowd began to bet their money on who they thought would win.

"It's impossible to break through Gajeel's iron, but this girl is saying that it was easy?" Pantherlily cried.

"I think she has a death wish for herself," Cana slurred, collecting bets from her guild mates. "No one calls Gajeel's iron tinfoil and makes it out alive."

* * *

"What did you just say?" A vein popped from Gajeel's forehead.

With that same smirk, Platina pulled an earphone out of her ear. "Sorry, did you say something?"

* * *

Beth sweated. "Is she going to be okay?"

"She'll be fine," Arania insisted.

* * *

"That girl..." Mirajane trailed off.

"She's not even respecting her opponent at all," Freed finished.

* * *

"Platina is so cool!"

"All right, pumpkin! The time limit is thirty minutes! Let the match begin!" Mato announced, running off to the side.

"Get ready, punk! Iron Dragon's Sword!"

As Gajeel thrust his arm, his sword passed through Platina, and a heeled boot from below kicked his face, his chin taking most of the attack.

In a fluid motion, Platina kicked Gajeel in the chest, sending him towards the wall.

"She's so fast!" Chapati cried.

"Vat's wrong, Black Steel?" Platina landed with both feet on the ground. "You're a little rusty."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hiya!**

**So school starts again tomorrow (start crying) but I came up with a little back-to-school present: this chapter!**

**CelestialxXxAngel—Sasori's name wasn't the only thing I got from Naruto. Read Tiamat for another thing I "borrowed".**

**Cough hack *Kakashi killed Rin* cough cough***

* * *

Chapter 6

**Silver and Iron**

* * *

"What did you say?" Gajeel pulled himself off the wall, a look of annoyance and rage painted across his face. "Did you say I was _rusty_?"

Platina cocked her head, retaining that sinister smirk. "I thought Dragon Slayers possessed good hearing."

"I'll show you _rusty_! Eat this: Iron Dragon's Restraints!"

The restraints flew towards her. Dodging under one, Platina caught the other in her hand. "Vell, you did show me how _rusty_ this restraint is," she taunted, twisting the iron so that a spiral formed.

* * *

"She's dead," Laxus decided. "First tinfoil, then rusty: she ain't making it out alive."

"You're that sure of Gajeel's victory?" Juvia sweated.

"He's our comrade! You're supposed to have faith in him!" Freed protested.

* * *

"Iron Dragon's Cannon!"

Gajeel's arm lengthened, growing in width as a hole appeared in the center. Iron took the place of skin, and his arm was a fully loaded bazooka.

Endless waves of blasts were unleashed, but Platina somersaulted across the sand, dodging each blow with the slightest movements.

"Is that all you've got, Gajeel? Snails vould be able to dodge these!" Platina catcalled.

* * *

"I see." Risley put her hands on her hips. "Platina's specialty is pissing people off. She's making that Gajeel lose focus by taunting him."

"Is it actually working?" Beth asked skeptically.

"When people are frustrated, they tend to use more magic even in a simple spell," Millianna said. "She's exhausting him by making him throw a tantrum."

* * *

"Confidence, speed, power, and good eyes," Rufus admitted. Noticing something, he leaned over the parapet. "She moves with the grace of a dancer. Not a single movement wasted, always in time with her rhythm."

"This is a first. You're checking out a girl, Rufus," Sting snickered.

"...can the two of you manage to shut up, or is that too hard?"

Sting scowled, Rufus went back to watching the battle as did Rogue.

* * *

Platina crossed her arms above her head. "Silver-Make: Silver Rain!"

Sharp pieces of silver started beating down on the arena, managing to slice Gajeel's iron. Grabbing as many as he could, the Iron Dragon Slayer stuffed his face with silver shards.

"...delicious." Gajeel looked up, meeting his opponent's eyes. "I guess you were born with a silver spoon in your hand."

Platina scowled, putting her hands together. "Silver-Make—" Before she could blink, Gajeel appeared in front of her, his fist ready to fly towards her face. _"Porcupine_!"

Multiple silver spikes appeared on her body. Her black hair turned silver and spiky; the same spikes formed along her clothes. Gajeel's fist collided with sharp silver, creating scratches that bled.

Platina prepared a roundhouse kick. Gajeel managed to figure out the foot's path. Her target was a spot on his right arm.

_The meridian whatever!_ Gajeel thought, moving his arm out of the way. The spikes on the silver mage's boot only scratched his arm.

"Just in time!" Gray cried.

"Iron Dragon's Club!" His iron arm burst forward, his target however moved out of the way. "Tricky one, aren't ya?" Gajeel growled. "Try this then!"

Multiple clubs spurted from his club arm. Platina dodged each one efficiently, until one of the clubs snagged her sunglasses off. "No!"

"Come and get it!" Gajeel taunted, waving her sunglasses in the air.

Covering her eyes, Platina stepped out of the way of another club.

* * *

"Is she that determined to keep her face a mystery?" Mirajane wondered.

"Maybe she only has one eye so she wears them to hide her hideous face," Laxus snorted.

* * *

"Iron Dragon's Roar!" A gale of swirling iron shards burst from his mouth, charging towards his opponent.

Platina, despite having her eyes covered, ducked under the Dragon Breath, running underneath the iron storm to reach Gajeel.

"How does she _do_ that?" Sting awed. "How does she move so fucking fast?"

Without wasting time, Platina kicked Gajeel in the groin. Many males in the crowd groaned, imagining what kind of pain he was in.

"Oh! That must hurt!" Chapati winced.

"Platina...she's really scary," Vóreia mumbled.

Sunglasses fell, but Platina caught them in midair, placing them back on her eyes. Thanks to his enhanced sight, Gajeel could briefly see her real face.

A set of blue eyes glared at him. "Nobody," she snarled, hiding blue eyes from the world, "touches the glasses."

Instead of asking why, Gajeel simply smirked as he returned to his feet. "So I assume you count as nobody then?"

Growling, Platina slammed her hands together. "Silver-Make: Infinite!"

"Her signature move!" Arania exclaimed.

Tendrils danced together with silver shards and weapons. The precious metals swirled around the duo, creating a silver wind barrier.

"Silver Storm!" True to its name, the silver wind barrier collapsed on itself, storming towards Gajeel, who could only take so much.

"Nice, but—" Gajeel positioned himself, his right foot forward. "Iron Dragon's Ro—"

His mouth froze, as did his right arm, and his right leg. In fact, everything on the right side of his body refused his commands. _What's going on?_ he thought furiously. _Why can't I move, damn it! I can't even speak!_

"What happened?" Juvia cried.

"Again." Yuka whistled. "She paralyzed him."

"But last time, it was only the arm," Lyon pointed out.

"I really hate to repeat myself," Platina said. "Remember vat I did to that mutt?"

Everyone in the arena thought back to Platina jabbing Yaeger's arm and disabling his good arm.

_The meridian thingy!_ Gajeel realized._ But it should only affect the arm!_

"If struck vith force, then the arm is paralyzed," she answered as if reading his mind. "But if it's struck vith enough magic, then half your body is paralyzed."

* * *

"But when?" Orga questioned, impressed. "She never hit the meridian whatever—"

"She did," Rufus realized. "She scratched that spot with her foot!"

* * *

"And now!" Platina ran towards Gajeel, holding two sickles, in her hands. She became a dark blur.

"What incredible speed!" Chapati cried.

Multiple attacks struck Gajeel, all in a split second as Platina appeared behind him, kneeling, her arms spread out. The sickles had traces of blood on the metal.

Gajeel fell, his shirt tattered to the point that it resembled a rag.

"Th-the match is over! The winner is Platina! Mermaid Heel is up to twenty points for Day 1! Fairy Tail B, a mere two points for the day!"

"She beat Gajeel! How?" Pantherlily cried.

"She's a monster," Happy mumbled, shocked.

Up in the stands, Rogue barely managed to contain his shock. His idol, the same one who beat him and Sting last year with a flick, was beaten. By a girl.

_My opponent isn't you anymore, Gajeel_, he thought, making a fist under his cape. _She was enough to defeat you...she's good enough for me._

* * *

**~Infirmary~**

Gajeel lay on one of the beds, unable to move half of his body while Porlyusica examined him. The remainder of Fairy Tail B watched worriedly.

"Hmph. It's been a long time since I encountered the meridian valve," Porlyusica grumbled. "But to have struck it so subtly...his opponent is one you definitely need to watch for."

"No duh," Laxus pointed out. "We got that tip as we carried him over here."

"And it wouldn't hurt to take it again!" With lightning reflexes, Laxus dodged the broom.

"But you can fix him, right?" Freed asked.

"It will take a day at most, but he'll be back on both feet. Now scram! I don't want humans stinking up the place!"

Team Fairy Tail B was forced out the door. "Eesh, what a hag," Laxus grumbled.

As they walked away, someone began to walk towards them. Millianna approached the quartet, a serious look on her face.

"You're from Mermaid Heel, aren't you?" Mirajane noticed.

Millianna nodded. "Is your team mate okay?"

"He's out for the day, thanks to yours," Laxus grumbled.

The cat mage bowed her head. "Gee, I was hoping she'd go easy on him."

"Juvia wants to know why you are here," Juvia said.

Millianna rose her head. "I'm here to apologize for Platina. I'm really sorry." She bowed.

"She can still walk, why can't she apologize—"

"Thank you for coming all this way to apologize," Mirajane cut off. "But...why can't Platina apologize to us in person?"

"Well, the thing is..." Millianna scratched behind one of cat ears. "Platina's really prideful. She wouldn't let herself be caught dead doing anything like that."

"Of course she wouldn't." Laxus stormed past Millianna. "A rich lady like her wouldn't—"

"You don't know Platina! She's not rich, she has to make a living just like the rest of us!"

"Huh?"

"What do you mean?" Juvia asked.

Millianna looked away. "Platina was never born with a silver spoon...she was a slave in the silver mines."

* * *

"Fairy Tail A's Erza Scarlet—"

"Win for us, Erza!" Gray called down to his team mate. The scarlet haired knight gave him a thumbs up.

"Versus Blue Pegasus' Ichiya!"

Erza froze in shock, a disgusted look on her face as the perfume mage waltzed in.

"...I don't know who I should feel sorry for, Erza or Ichiya," Lucy muttered.

"I feel sorry for both," Wendy decided, sweating.

"I think it's Erza," the ice mage said.

* * *

"This is troublesome," Ren sweated, crossing his arms. "Sensei is battling his lover."

"Senpai won't let that stop him from winning," Eve said. "Hibiki, Jenny, what do you—"

But they found Jenny and Hibiki making out. "Are you guys serious?!" Eve and Ren shrieked.

* * *

"Begin!"

"Erza, my honey!" Ichiya swooned. "I don't wish to injure you~! Come into my arms—"

Erza, though shaking in her armor, made a fist. "Don't come near me!" she screamed, punching Ichiya away from herself.

"Men~!" Ichiya broke through the wall, buried deep inside by Erza's fist.

"Uh...uh...Fairy Tail A's Erza has knocked Ichiya out! Ten points to Fairy Tail A!"

"Cool! Erza is so cool!"

"Amazing..." Lucy mumbled, dumbfounded.

"Just one hit," Wendy sweated.

"It just shows you how much she dislikes the guy," Gray finished.

"Wasn't Ichiya supposed to be crazy strong?" Natsu pointed out.

"Under Erza's fist, he's helpless."

* * *

"Next up, Lamia Scale's Lyon Vastia versus Quatro Cerberus' Semmes!"

Lyon rubbed his forehead as his mummy-like opponent entered. "Why do you even bother?"

"Begin!"

Before Semmes could move—he had a hard time moving to begin with—Lyon froze him in place.

"Victory to Lamia Scale! And they finish Day 1 with eighteen points! Quatro Cerberus—zero!"

"Is it me, or does Quatro Cerberus suck?" Lyon asked his team mates.

"The latter," everyone but Jura replied.

* * *

"Our last battle for the day! Sabertooth's Rogue Cheney—" A wave of feminine screams went up. "—versus Imperial Snow's Mizuno!"

A tall, water blue-haired mage entered the arena, aqua eyes regarding his opponent curiously. His dress sense was similar to Sasori's, except for the gladiator bit: a dark blue tunic with gold and silver accents, dark pants, and Roman sandals.

"Imperial Guardian of the South, Mizuno," Dobengal noted.

"What kind of magic does he use?" Yuka asked.

"Water," he said. "But his main magic involves mirrors."

Down below, Mizuno held up a silver hand mirror. "Mirrors are fascinating objects, don't you agree?"

Lyon sweated. "Is he...conceited?"

"Partially vain," Dobengal agreed, slightly disgusted at the fact that his former comrade, who did nothing to stop his excommunication, had not changed one bit. "But his power starts here."

* * *

"They say that eyes are the windows to the soul," Mizuno continued, putting the hand mirror away. At the same time, another mirror separated Rogue and Mizuno from each other. This one was big enough to display a face.

"And your point is?" Rogue asked, annoyed at his opponent. His reflection mirrored his emotions.

Mizuno smiled slyly. "Sometimes your eyes betray your greatest fears, your darkest secrets. Show me...your deepest..."

Rogue's reflection began to change. The image rippled, distorting his face. Black faded into white; red darkened to blue. When the mirror focused again, Glacia's face stared back at him.

* * *

"Oh no." Dobengal gripped the parapet. "Tell me he's not...he wouldn't..."

"Wouldn't what?" Chelia questioned.

"When he uses Mirror Magic, Mizuno can create an exact copy of a person his foe is close to," he explained. "But he grabbed Rogue's feelings for Glacia, so if the mirror reflects her image..."

* * *

"Oh dear." The floating mirror pivoted so Mizuno could look at the occupant. "Well, well...I did not see this coming. But in order to win, I'll do what I can to bring my foe to his knees!"

It looked as though the mirror were melting. Then it began to fold in on itself, resembling a silvery blob. But then the mass began to take a human form.

"Your intense feelings for Glacia Patin will be returned," Mizuno leered.

Pale skin took the place of silvery material. A light blue shirt, darker blue pants that came to the midcalf, and sandals outfitted the mirror. Snow white hair covered the mirror being's head, brushed over its left eye.

"After all, what goes better with darkness," Mizuno mused, "than cold?"

Glacier blue eyes blinked several times, zeroing in on Rogue, who backed away in shock.

"Shit. Is that—?" Sting leaned closer, hoping his eyes were decieving him.

Vóreia stepped closer on the parapet, unable to believe the image her former comrade decided to shape.

At the same time, Team Mermaid Heel stared in shock at the mirror being.

"...Glacia?"

* * *

**Next chapter: Cold and Shadow**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Cold and Shadow**

* * *

It was her. The mirror being created by the mirror mage had accurately copied her appearance down to the last hair. Not so much as a flaw in complexion, too.

"...Glacia..."

How many nights had Vóreia cried over the death of her beloved partner? How many mages had suffered physically—under Rogue's fist—and emotionally after her murder? Yet here she was, standing before Rogue. The very girl who had triggered his violent personality change.

It was her...but it wasn't. On the surface, Glacia was cheerful with a touch of sadness. This Glacia was emotionless, blank, the epitome of emptyness.

* * *

"Glacia!" Beth cried out.

"Vait, that girl in the arena is Glacia?" Platina asked, glancing back and forth between her team mates and the battle.

"It may be an illusion," Risley said. "But that's Glacia."

"I remember you telling me that she vas eighteen ven she died."

"She_ was_ eighteen," Kagura confirmed, looking at Mizuno in disgust. "But due to the nature of her magic, Glacia was frozen into the form of a child."

* * *

"Mermaid-san?" Frosch's eyes began to water up. "She's alive!"

"Of course not!" Even though Lector wanted to believe that it was Glacia back from the grave, he knew better. "It's an illusion, it's not her!"

"Shit." Sting ran a hand through his hair. "Illusion or not...Rogue..."

"What I don't understand is," Rufus began, "how _that_ girl is important to Rogue."

"Weren't you the one who finished an entire book on war history in one day?"

"Your point being?"

"Do you remember what the best battles were fought over?"

"A woman," Rufus replied, frowning. "But—"

"Exactly."

* * *

"My, my." Mizuno rested an arm on Mirror Glacia's head. "Never did I imagine that another man besides Dobengal would fall for this frozen beauty. She may be adorable now, but you should see her with long hair! Truly, her beauty surpasses even Lady Venus!"

Lyon turned to Dobengal, who turned away from Chelia, who was currently flashing a smug look.

"..." A fiendish smirk crossed Rogue's mouth. "You know, at first, I thought a battle against an incredibly conceited pretty boy like you would end quick. But to see you mock the dead so easily—" Shadows began to float in the air around Rogue. "You make me sick," he snarled.

"And?" Mizuno tilted his head, retaining that laidback air while smiling. "Your point being?"

"I'll make you scream for mercy," Rogue said, appearing behind the mirror mage. "Shadow Dragon's Slash!"

Mizuno spun around as a fist wrapped in shadows came for him, aiming—

_Right for his pretty face_, Rogue thought.

Blood flew into the air, his fingers drenched in the same liquid. Shock pulsed through Rogue's veins at the sight before him. Mirror Glacia had taken the attack meant for Mizuno, her right cheek slashed badly.

"Oh dear, now look," Mizuno tsked. "You marred_ her_ pretty face."

As he spoke, the wound began to close over with new flesh, blood evaporating into the air. Mizuno clapped his hands together in satisfaction. "There we go. Good as new!"

"Let her go."

Mizuno raised an eyebrow as he tilted his head again. "You know, I was expecting a thank you when I brought her here."

"For what? For mocking her death? Shadow Dragon's Roar!"

A large burst of shadows charged towards Mizuno, who simply stood smiling.

"...Ice Dragon's Mirror," a flat, monotone female voice spoke.

A smooth sheet of ice appeared in front of Mizuno, reflecting Rogue's attack back at him. The ice floated off to the side under Mirror Glacia's control.

"Nuh-uh," Mizuno chided, waving a finger. "I'm not your only opponent here. Glacia is going to fight with us."

Rogue hesitated, but reminded himself furiously that this was an illusion in front of him.

_But she was bleeding_, he thought.

"What will it be? To be brought to your knees by Glacia, or to retain your guild's so-called 'honor'...and lose her all over again?"

"Heh." Rogue got back to his feet, glaring at Mizuno. "For a moment...I almost felt sorry for you. I have no idea how Glacia put up with you."

"Oh? This is coming from a man who barely knew her for more than a week," the mirror mage mused.

"If you don't mind me murdering you, keep talking. Shadow Dragon's Whip!"

A long tendril of writhing shadows grew from his right hand, snapped forward on Rogue's command.

"...Shattering Whip."

A long, bladed ice whip lashed out to meet Rogue's, passing through the shadows.

* * *

"Wait, that's Glacia's magic!" Lyon cried.

"If Mizuno can copy a mage in his mirror, he has access to their magic," Dobengal admitted bitterly. "He beat me using this same strategy once."

"That was a long time ago. You can take him now, right?" Chelia asked.

She received no answer. "Is there at least a weak link in his strategy?"

"...just one. Mirror Glacia has the same magic as the genuine, but her magic comes from Mizuno's magic."

* * *

"Shadow Dragon's Punch!" But his attack phased through Mirror Glacia's stomach, tiny ice particles floating in place of her entire body.

"'Dragon that hides in snow:_ Freezing Mist_,'" Mizuno quoted as Mirror Glacia vanished into the air. "Glacia's favorite technique, one that she crafted herself."

Mirror Glacia appeared, her fist glowing blue as she drew it forward. This time, it was Rogue's turn to become intangible, a shadow that couldn't be touched.

"Intangible shadow, huh?" Mizuno leaned back as tiny ice particles floated towards a shadow. "Cold and shadow—you accent each other beautifully."

Rogue burst out of Mizuno's shadow, ready to attack him when the mirror mage suddenly moved out of the way.

Mirror Glacia rushed forward, her fist glowing blue until she opened it. Three linked chains hovered over the palm of her hand.

"Ice Dragon's Chains," Mizuno said.

On cue, Mirror Glacia drew her arm back before bringing it forward. Multiple chains shot out of her palm, trying to restrain her opponent. Rogue was forced to slip back into the shadows, effectively avoiding the chains.

"The best part about Glacia's magic is that nothing has to be practiced to perfection," the mirror mage sighed. "It's always beautiful improv."

A chain with a grappling hook struck the shadow where Rogue hid. But the hook vanished into the darkness until Mirror Glacia yanked on it.

_How?_ Rogue thought as the hook extracted him._ How did she—_

"Pull me out of the shadow?" Mirror Glacia said. "I forgot she could read my mind."

Three more chains soared, wrapping themselves around Rogue's right arm and his legs.

"Glacia." Mizuno's hands radiated with blue light, and water floated in his hands. "Will you?"

Mirror Glacia took a deep breath, drawing her head back. A spiralling cyclone of snow and ice burst out of her mouth.

"Unison Raid?" Rufus noted.

At the same time, Mizuno extended his hands, water streaming out of his palms. Water collided with ice and snow, and two dragons made of water drowned Rogue in a violent torrent. "Clashing Dragons of the North Sea!"

The arena filled with water, it froze over. But not before Rogue pulled himself out of the freezing water, dripping wet and coughing on the icy floor.

"Water is the element of change," Mizuno said, spreading an arm out. "Ice and snow are water's cold siblings. Reunite them, and they accent each other beautifully. Magic of the Ice Dragon, her unmelting tears: Glacia is living proof, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah. She_ was_." Rogue got back on his feet. "You have no idea what her tears do to a complete stranger, do you? They make you feel helpless, powerless, and those same tears could bring a god to their knees. However..." He removed his cape, heavy from water absorption "It's those same tears...that gave me this strength...and guided me to where I am today!"

Slowly, Mizuno applauded. "Well done. I haven't heard a passionate declaration like that since Dobengal's excommunication."

"Remember what I said earlier?" The fiendish smirk returned to Rogue. "I'll bring you to your knees...and you'll scream for mercy. Shadow Dragon's Abyss!"

A dark shadow consumed Mirror Glacia's, and it pulled her into the darkness. She struggled, but long arms grabbed every part of her, dragging her into the deeper. Mirror Glacia glanced back at Rogue, tears threatening to fall as the abyss consumed her.

He almost faltered.

_Among the falling rubble, he could see her lifeless body falling into the chasm. Darkness claimed her, and debris buried her body._

_You saw her die that day, and this isn't her!_ he thought.

The mirror being disappeared into the shadows, not a trace of its existance.

"I can't believe...you—"

"Your turn." Rogue appeared from Mizuno's shadow.

"Agh!" Mizuno slid across the icy floor, which was beginning to melt and evaporate. His cheek bruised, the mirror mage used whatever water left to attack Rogue, but the Shadow Dragon passed through it with ease.

His fist collided with Mizuno's nose, a sickening crack sounded as the mirror mage skidded across the ice on his back. _Using the mirror cost me more magic than I_ _thought_, Mizuno thought as he rolled away from a Shadow Dragon's Roar. But in his line of sight, an armored boot shot out, kicking him in the gut.

A hand grabbed the back of his neck, hoisting Mizuno into the air.

"I—I surrender?"

"You lost that right the minute you began."

Mizuno was slammed against the ice, breaking it effectively. Ice chunks floated away as the water sunk into the small crater in the ground. And in the center of it was the unconscious water mage of Imperial Snow.

"The battle is over! Rogue of Sabertooth is victorious! Mizuno...is he all right?"

"We should get him to see a doctor," Yajima said.

"Cool! Sabertooth is cool!"

"And so are today's results!" Chapati announced as the score appeared on the Lacrima Vision.

Mermaid Heel **20P**  
Lamia Scale **18P**  
Sabertooth** 14P**  
Fairy Tail A **13P**  
Imperial Snow** 6P**  
Fairy Tail B** 2P**  
Blue Pegasus** 1P**  
Quatro Cerberus** 0P**

"Already, Mermaid Heel has stolen the top place from Sabertooth! But will they retain that position?"

* * *

"To think that Sabertooth is in_ third_..." Lector shook his head.

"Interesting fellow, his opponent. I memorized his magic," Rufus said with a sly smile.

"That Mizuno guy had it coming for him," Sting shrugged.

* * *

"Mizuno, you idiot." Sasori raked a hand through his poison-colored hair.

"That guy has a bad habit of going with the flow," one of his cloaked team mates said.

"Speak for yourself," another spoke.

"What, me?" The first cloaked man leaned back, casual and calm, unlike his formal guild mates. "Hey, I rock and roll, got it, airhead?"

"Why can't you be more like Sasori?" The one addressed as airhead taunted.

In a chain reaction, the cloaked man lunged for 'Airhead'. Sasori did his best to hold back the man, while the fifth member of Team Imperial Snow got between the two and separated them.

"Thanks, N," Sasori added as he dragged the man back.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" 'Airhead' called.

"I'm gonna go see Sissy," N replied, before turning back around to leave.

"Those two are remarkable." Sasori leaned against the wall, smiling. "To have a sibling that cares for you...it's been so long since I felt that feeling."

"Hey, I'm your brother, aren't I?"

"Aw, stuff it, spider."

* * *

Vóreia entered the room she shared with Team Mermaid Heel. Something white and purple on her small suitcase caught her attention._ To Vóreia_, read the front of the envelope.

* * *

"Where do you think you're going?" Lyon called to his new team mate.

"I'm heading out," Dobengal replied. His back disappeared beyond the door.

* * *

Fairy Tail was living it up at Bar Sun, celebrating their fourth and sixth place results.

"I hope Gajeel is okay," Levy murmured.

"Wendy and Porlyusica are with him, of course he's okay!" Natsu insisted. "But seeing him get his butt kicked got me all fired up! Now I wanna battle that mermaid girl!"

_Knock, knock, knock!_ Someone was at the door.

Lisanna, being the closest to the door, grabbed hold of the doorknob and opened it. "Oh—you're with the Magic Council!"

The party died down as several members craned their necks to see. Lahar stood outside with several Rune Knights.

Makarov leapt down from the bar and approached. "Is there a problem?"

Lahar bowed his head. "Please forgive our intrusion, but a recent murder led us to investigate anything and everything the murdered was ever connected to. His guild members...even guilds he went up against."

"What do we have to do with this person?" Gray asked, eyes narrowing.

"Oracion Seis, codename Cobra."

Several heads went up at Cobra's name, including Kinana's.

"He was murdered last night," Lahar continued grimly.

* * *

~Crocus Gardens~

Vóreia entered the lobby, looking at the decorations placed around.

The doors to the hotel slid open, and a tan-haired ninja trainee walked in, holding a white and purple letter.

"...hello," Vóreia said stiffly. Under her glare, Dobengal could only nod.

"Vóreia, Dobengal!" Sasori came around, grinning. "Please, relax. You're my guests, after all."

Sasori led the duo down a hallway, oblivious to the tension between his former comrades.

"Say, Sasori?"

"Hmm?"

"Back there." Dobengal pointed behind himself, where one door had seven different locks, unlike the others, which had one. "Is there a reason why that door is heavily padlocked?"

Sasori stopped, a pained look on his face. "A friend of mine fell quite ill. His entire body is being overtaken by rogue cells...let's just say they made him turn rogue as well."

"Mutation?" Vóreia guessed.

"Luckily we caught the mutation in an early stage," Sasori continued. "I'm doing my best to poison the rogue cells out. It hasn't been easy. The poison also goes for the handful of healthy tissue, weakening my friend greatly."

"But enough about him. Why don't we sit down and chat, like old times?"

* * *

Wanting to take a break, and get away from his guild mates, Rogue wandered aimlessly around Crocus.

_Then again, they're too afraid to come near me now, so we're even_, he thought. Rogue had lost count of how many members he scared off. The few victims that chose to stay made sure to keep their distance.

There was too much silence on his side. Rogue spun around to see that Frosch had rooted to a spot near the trees, several yards away from a fountain.

"Frosch—" But Frosch didn't respond, even as Rogue came closer to his friend. It was almost as if he were entranced, given by the dazed look in his eyes. Frowning, the Shadow Dragon Slayer, focused his attention on what had caught Frosch's near the fountain, only to see a young girl dancing.

_Is she drunk?_ Rogue thought, unable to see how she enchanted Frosch.

But then he realized the girl couldn't have been drunk. Because an intoxicated person wouldn't be able to pull off every graceful step, each fluid movement.

The girl skipped forward, executing a beautiful pirouette as light surrounded her like a veil. The veil burst into glittering light, and the girl spun around in a blue dress. Part of the skirt was attached to a wristband on her left arm.

The moonlight accented her, and Rogue felt his feet stepping closer for another look. Soft silver rays highlighted her river-like, snow-white hair; her delicate, pale skin cast a gentle glow around herself; and as her skirt rippled with each step, the blue silk resembled ocean waves: overlapping, gentle, lulling. The girl opened her eyes, and Rogue took in a silent gasp.

It was_ her_. Not Glacia—but the look-alike from the other night.

_If there are gods, they must hate me_, Rogue thought, entranced by the dancer. She stopped, spreading her arms out in a grand flourish.

Frosch began to clap, but his were drowned out by others—others that were slow, mocking, predatory. Three men came out from behind the trees, stalking towards the young dancer.

"Lookie here, boys," the leader of the thugs, being the ugliest of the trio, leered, licking his lips. "Now what's a pretty girl like you doing out so late?"

The girl backed away, only to be grabbed from behind by his lackies. She struggled, but the leader grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "You'll be dancing for me now...you know what I mean?"

The lackies cackled as the leader leaned in closer, puckering his disgusting lips—

Suddenly, a clenched fist pulled him back, hurling him towards the brick wall.

"Huh?" The lackies were torn from the girl as Rogue delivered a swift roundhouse kick to their faces.

"Ugh..." One of the lackies got to his knees, but froze when he saw Rogue's red eyes glowering at him. "H-he's that guy from Sabertooth! Shadow Dragon Rogue!"

"Crap!" Both of the goons scrambled to their feet, hauling their unconscious leader with them.

Smirking mentally, Rogue turned around towards the girl. "Are you—"

But the girl ran away so fast, a trail of dust clouds were left behind. He sweated. "—okay?"

"Rogue, why did the pretty lady run away?" Frosch asked, coming away from the trees.

"...I don't know."

_Did I terrify her that badly?_ he thought.


	8. Chapter 8

**The name of this chapter came from a fun little game I played in my history class called Frog Assassin. The rules are:**

**One person becomes the hunter. The hunter goes out of the room while everyone else closes their eyes while someone picks the assassin.**

**So no one knows who the assassin is, but the assassin makes kills by making eye contact and flicking his tongue at them. The victim is then supposed to 'die' dramatically.**

**Once the assassin is chosen, the hunter comes back in and tries to catch the assassin while people die while they're in the room.**

**There's one rule that we came up with: NO machine gun. That's where the assassin flicks his tongue out rapidly at every person they see.**

Chapter 8

**Spider Assassin**

* * *

"Today's the second day of the Grand Magic Games! Our guest judge is Goldmine, guildmaster of Quatro Cerberus!"

"Just because we started off badly doesn't mean we'll stay like that!" Goldmine clicked his tongue. "Just watch, we'll be in second place by the end of the day!"

"With Mermaid Heel in the lead, and today's events, the scales can still tip in anyone's favor! Our next game is _Assassin!_ Please choose your players!"

"Assassin, huh?" Lyon stepped forward. "This is going to be easy."

**Lamia Scale**: Lyon Vastia

"By the name, you can tell there's gonna be stealth involved," Arania said.

"It's all right." Kagura walked past her team mates. "I'm going to enter."

"Kagura-chan, are you sure?" Millianna asked.

"This blade..." The swordswoman gripped Archenemy. "...will lead us to glory."

**Mermaid Heel**: Kagura Mikazuchi

"Assassin?" Laxus couldn't help but grin. "Well, when you put it that way...I'll give it a shot."

**Fairy Tail B**: Laxus Dreyar

"Gajeel isn't any better yet?" Mirajane asked.

"Juvia checked, but Gajeel is still paralyzed in his arm."

"Oh? If Laxus is going, I'm gonna enter too!"

**Fairy Tail A**: Natsu Dragneel

**Quatro Cerberus**: Rocker

**Blue Pegasus**: Eve Tearm

"Well, wish me luck." One of the cloaked figures threw their disguise into the air. A man with spiky black hair and red highlights stood proudly, purple and blue eyes glancing at the competitors so far. A pair of combat boots for his feet, some ripped jeans, and a black shirt with a red hourglass design: he looked like a street punk.

"Eesh, you have to be dramatic?" the taller of the two remaining cloaked figures drawled.

"Hey, at least I'm not as bad as you."

**Imperial Snow**: Jigumo

"Jigumo?"

"Is he an Imperial Guardian?" Yuka whispered.

"...I'm not sure. Last time I saw him, Jigumo was nowhere near his brother's level. But he's still Sasori's twin," Dobengal admitted.

"I see the resemblance...but just the eyes?" Chelia asked.

"They're both very eccentric. But Sasori's more cultured, Jigumo...is brutal."

"And yet, Sasori's wearing the gladiator armor."

* * *

Meanwhile, Rogue was sitting quietly, deep in thought. He couldn't get that girl from last night out of his mind. The dancer who looked exactly like Glacia.

Something about the way she danced scared him. He had been every bit as enchanted as Frosch was. He couldn't peel his eyes away from her performance, and when she stopped, he couldn't stop staring at her.

Then the thugs came, and Rogue didn't think of anything else but her. He attacked them, thinking the dancer was Glacia.

He was expecting a thanks but he didn't expect her to run away from him!

_White hair, blue eyes, her face was the exact same_, he thought. _But her hair was longer, she looked older...who was she?_

"...been a while since he's been like this," Sting noticed. Usually, Rogue would be scowling. But now he was calm, comtemplative...what he had been before _she_ died.

"This is too good to be true." Sure, Rufus didn't mind this rare moment when Rogue wasn't harsh and cold. But what worried him was how long it would last. He wouldn't mind if his former personality returned to stay—

"Hey, Rogue! You going or what?" Orga called. Sting gulped, Rufus facepalmed himself. _He just had to!_ they thought.

"Hmm?" Rogue looked up, a slight look of annoyance on his face.

_Just when I was enjoying the peace!_ Sting mentally cursed.

"It's Assassin, sounds like you would be perfect for it," Orga said.

An eyebrow twitched. _Great, here it comes again_, Rufus thought, hoping Rogue would at least keep their appearance perfect in front of the crowd.

"Orga...if I go, will you leave me in peace for the rest of the day?" Rogue asked.

Jaws dropped, flabbergasted at what the Shadow Dragon Slayer had just said. Ever since last year, if someone kept persisting, Rogue would have hacked them to bits. But this...

"Uh...yeah," Orga sweated.

Rogue sighed. "Well then."

**Sabertooth:** Rogue Cheney

* * *

"Something is up." Minerva placed a hand on her hip. "He didn't lash out this time."

"Maybe it's because there are too many witnesses," Rufus suggested.

"If that were the case, then he wouldn't have tried to attack that_ traitor_ in Lamia Scale yesterday." The word traitor was spat out like a curse word.

* * *

"Can everyone wear this around their wrists, pumpkin?" Mato held up a wristband with a bright green gem. "One for each of you, so don't complain."

Once the wristbands were fitted, a city began to appear within the arena. One by one, the contestants warped into the 'city', scattered away from each other.

"Is it like Hidden?" Eve guessed, glancing around.

The sky above the artificial city turned dark and cloudy. "Within the city, there are assassins trying to kill you. At the same time, you yourself are an assassin, and it's your job to kill the other assassins."

"Kill?" Rocker repeated.

"That's the setting, pumpkin. But we don't mean murder. If you get hit once, then the gem on your band breaks, and you're out, pumpkin."

"So in a nutshell, last man standing wins," Laxus said.

"Ding ding! Right, pumpkin! So let's go over it again: one hit and you're out! No murder! That's it! There are no other rules in this game except—win! At any cost!"

"Great!" Natsu pumped a fist into the air. "I'm all fired up!"

"Now, use your wits and cunning to attack! Hide in the veil of darkness!" The gong was struck. "Assassin has begun!"

The city was silent. Too silent. Almost as if no one existed.

"They hid so well," Gray noted.

Someone choked, and a body fell to the ground. The green gem turned red before it shattered. "Oh my! Eve was the first to go!"

"Damn, they're really sly with that shit," Bixlow muttered in the stands.

* * *

Somewhere in the city, Rocker did a little victory dance. Finally, he was going to bring some points back for his team!

A shadow flickered, and Rocker was thrown against a brick wall. His gem broke.

"Next time, try not to dance," Rogue hissed before he hid in the shadows.

"Blue Pegasus has earned eighth place while Quatro Cerberus snagged seventh! But the other guilds are still going!"

"Just one measly point," Yaeger muttered.

"Better than nothing," Bacchus slurred.

Natsu glanced around, using his enhanced vision to look for a certain individual.

"Ice-Make: Snow Dragon!"

Natsu avoided the sculpted ice dragon. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

A burst of flames melted the ice golem, leaving a puddle of water on the ground.

"I can smell you, you know!" Natsu called.

"I can hear you, ya know," a snarky voice replied. A lightning bolt sped towards Natsu, who countered with— "Lightning Fire Dragon's Roar!"

The attack blew several buildings apart, and Lyon lay on top of the rubble, red shards in his hand.

"And Lamia Scale comes in sixth!"

"Lyon, when you come back, you're going to spin and spin and spin!" Ooba grumbled while spinning herself.

"Not bad, Natsu," Laxus's voice said. His voice seemed to come from all directions. "But—"

Somewhere, Laxus began to choke. Using the hacking sounds as his guide, Natsu ran in that direction and found Laxus on the ground, sweating and coughing, skin turning blue.

"Oi, Laxus, what's wrong?" Natsu's nose went off, alerting him to danger. Laxus' scent was mingled with poison.

Natsu felt a tiny sting on his neck before he too fainted. A miniscule spider scuttled away from the unconscious Dragon Slayers.

* * *

"Natsu!"

"Laxus!"

"What happened? What got them?" Fried cried, appalled at seeing Laxus on the ground.

"It's too dark to see the assassin," Mirajane said, squinting.

"Suddenly, we're down to three guilds: Mermaid Heel, Sabertooth, and Imperial Snow. Who will be the ultimate assassin?"

"Jigumo's work," Dobengal sighed, shaking his head.

"How can you tell?" Yuka asked.

"Because, like Sasori, he uses poison. But Jigumo's poison..."

* * *

The spider from before scuttled back into someone's hand, clicking its pincers, some short, others long. "Five down, two to go."

"...you're so loud."

The person holding the spider rushed away from the shadows, where Rogue emerged. "Jigumo, right?"

"Yu-pez." Jigumo placed his spider on his shoulder. "And if my intel is right,_ you're_ the guy our Princess Glacia fell for."

Rogue flinched slightly, thankful for the darkness of the game field.

"Relax, dude. You look like a black widow bit you." Jigumo held a finger out to the spider on his shoulder. The arachnid jumped on, crawling into his palm. "You'd be surprised at how much spiders can tell. For example, this little beauty—a redback, by the way—just told me that you managed to make her cry. You know how rare that is?"

When the spider mage of Imperial Snow received silence on his end, Jigumo chuckled. "Aha! So that's why you said that stuff about her tears! Man, you really do like her, don't you?"

"...shut up."

"It's not healthy to be in denial," Jigumo teased.

"Shadow Dragon's Roar!"

Jigumo, with a smug grin on his face, moved out of the way when someone from behind struck him down. Green darkened to red, and the gem shattered.

A sheathed sword soared, catching the burst of shadows and flinging it back to Rogue. By his own attack, Rogue was tossed against a building.

"It's Kagura! She's beaten Jigumo and Rogue!"

"Just a fluke," Goldmine grumbled as the scores were reached.

"Yeah! Kagura-chan's the ultimate assassin!" Millianna squealed.

Mermaid Heel **10P**  
Sabertooth **8P**  
Imperial Snow** 6P**  
Fairy Tail A** 4P**  
Fairy Tail B** 3P**  
Lamia Scale **2P**  
Quatro Cerberus **1P**  
Blue Pegasus **0P**

Once the city disappeared, the audience knew something was wrong. Eve was turning blue and couldn't breathe; Lyon was in the exact same condition; Natsu and Laxus were sweating profusely, unable to breathe correctly.

"P-pumpkin?" Mato rushed over to examine the four. "Medics! They've been poisoned, pumpkin!"

The crowd erupted in shock, whispering amongst themselves. Chelia hurried down to the arena with the medics, kneeling beside Lyon. He groaned, tilting his head to the side, where two tiny punctures were seen. _Spider bites_! Chelia realized, turning her own head towards Jigumo.

"So what if I poisoned them?" Jigumo leaned back, smirking. "Don't blame me, blame the judges and the referee for this," he said, pointing at Mato.

"Eh? What for?" Mato yelled.

"_'There are no other rules in this game except—win. At any cost.'_ I simply took advantage of that rule. There was nothing against poisoning in the rulebooks either."

* * *

Porlyusica huffed. "Just when I had one treated, two more come in!"

Natsu groaned, holding his stomach as his complexion worsened. Laxus, on the other hand, appeared dead and Fried was suddenly chanting holy texts.

"Poison from a spider, you said?" Porlyusica asked curiously, grabbing some ingredients here and there. "This should be quick...but it depends on the kind of spider—"

"Redback, I think," Lucy said.

"An hour at most," Porlyusica judged, mixing the ingredients. "Now go. I can't stand smelly humans."

The door slammed in front of Gajeel, Lucy, and Fried's faces.

"So what did I miss?" Gajeel asked.

* * *

"Make sure every drop of this goes in his mouth," Porlyusica ordered, handing off a cup full of greenish liquid to Wendy while taking one for herself.

"Hm! Yes, Grandine," Wendy said.

"Don't call me that," the elderly woman snapped, though she smiled when Wendy called her that.

Carla opened Natsu's mouth as Wendy tipped the edge of the glass towards his mouth, pouring the antidote in.

A violent migraine attacked Carla, who released Natsu's chin to hold her head.

"Carla? Carla, are you all right?" Wendy cried.

* * *

"Arania has taken out War Cry! And Mermaid Heel is up to forty points!"

"So much for second place, eh, Goldmine?" Yajima mused. Goldmine sulked silently.

"Well, next up, Blue Pegasus' Hibiki Lates versus Sabertooth's Rufus Lohr!"

* * *

"A vision of the future, Carla?" Wendy asked. "Can you tell us what you saw?"

"The usual...only fragments," Carla said, holding her head.

"Go on," Porlyusica encouraged.

"An enormous spiderweb...two cocoons...a beautiful blue crystal...and something—someone...that vision from before..."

_...The white haired girl again. She was leaning over someone, but as to who was a mystery. Her long bangs hid the left side of her face, but it was evident that she was crying for the person..._

_...the Shadow Dragon Slayer, Rogue. He was forcing someone to their knees, holding their arms behind themselves with a foot on the person's back. A sadistic glint in his eyes, black scale-like designs on his face...his foot came down on the person's back as his hands yanked the victim's arms out..._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Glacier**

* * *

"I don't know why he would do that," Carla admitted as the Lacrima Vision displayed Juvia defeated, and Mato declaring Gray the winner. "Or why he's going to."

"Perhaps the girl in your vision had something to do with it," Porlyusica advised.

"Yes...there was something wrong with her," the Exceed realized. "Her left eye...over her left eye was an eye patch."

* * *

"To think that Chelia tied again," Yuka noted as the Sky God Slayer exited the arena.

"Her opponent was Avian, Imperial Guardian of the East." As he said this, a purple haired man in a black commedia dell'arte mask walked away. His outfit was almost similar to Rufus' in design, except Avian's vest was black with gold fastenings, and he had red pants and a red shirt. His cravat tie was shorter, and Avian wore dress shoes instead of boots. "Chelia's magic is more destructive, but Avian has experience in Air Magic."

Mermaid Heel **40P**  
Sabertooth** 32P**  
Fairy Tail A **27P**  
Lamia Scale** 25P**  
Imperial Snow** 17P**  
Fairy Tail B** 5P**  
Blue Pegasus** 1P**  
Quatro Cerberus **1P**

"Lamia Scale has been shoved to fourth, and while Mermaid Heel still holds the top spot, it's a scuffle between Fairy Tail A and Sabertooth for number one!"

"Yeah, we're still in first!" Millianna cheered.

"Just wait, Sabertooth. We'll take take your pride and choke you with it," Arania smirked.

Vóreia sighed, smiling_. Can you see us, Glacia?_ she thought as Team Mermaid Heel celebrated behind her. _We'll win the games this year. For the guild, for our pride...for you._

"Say, have you guys seen Platina?" Beth asked.

Vóreia blinked. Come to think of it...didn't Platina come with them to Domus Flau this morning?

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her at all this morning," Arania noticed.

* * *

Sighing, Rogue walked out of the Sabertooth balcony, glad that today was finally over. But that same question attacked him over and over again.

_Who was that girl?_

Or, to be precise,_ what?_

She was visible to him and Frosch, and those thugs too. A ghost? But then he reminded himself that the girl last night was also tangible, as shown when the goons grabbed her.

"Rogue, wait for Fro!" Frosch flew after his best friend. Rogue stopped, turning around to see his Exceed buddy fly towards the four intersecting hallways.

At the same time, the shortest remaining cloaked member of Imperial Snow came around the corner. Frosch bumped into them, knocking them over.

Rubbing their head, the person stood, unaware of their hood falling off.

"Frosch, apologize," Rogue said gently.

Blinking in surprise, as it was the first in a long time since he used his gentle voice, Frosch turned towards the mage. "Fro's really sorry—_Mermaid-san_?" Frosch exclaimed.

His head shooting up, Rogue took a closer look at the Imperial Snow mage.

The mage standing at the intersection brushed invisible dust off of their cloak. Short white hair topped their head, with bangs covering the left side of the face. This person had a very pale complexion, as if sunlight did not agree with their skin. They looked no older than between eleven and twelve.

The Imperial Snow Mage turned towards Frosch, blue eyes narrowing at him. Frosch flinched at the hostility, which made the mage retract that emotion. Mumbling a small excuse me, they began to walk away.

"But—"

"Glacia."

Ears twitching, the mage turned towards Rogue, who stood in shock at their appearance._ Even the facial structure is the exact same!_ he thought.

Before him, the person who answered to the name Glacia gasped, eyes widening in what Rogue could identify as recognition.

"It's you, isn't it, Glacia?" he restated, his heart skipping a beat.

"Rogue..." Frosch kept glancing between Rogue and Glacia, confusion painted on his feline face.

Just as Glacia took a step towards Rogue...suddenly, she turned in the other direction and ran away.

"Wait!" Faster than his Shadow Drive, Rogue took off after her.

"Rogue! Mermaid-san!" Frosch flew after the duo, still unsure of what was going on.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rogue was still chasing after Glacia, who was gaining speed by the second. Fortunately, so was he. It appeared that Glacia was trying to get Rogue off her tail.

_No. Not this time_! Rogue thought as they were coming up towards the entrance hall._ You were this close all this time...I'm not letting you go!_

They ran into the entrance hall, teeming with mages and spectators. Glacia, being small enough, easily flit through the crowd.

Rogue, on the other hand, ran into someone. A pair of dark sunglasses clattered against the ground.

"Sorry—"

"You know, Herr Cheney, there are better vays to greet a lady. Running into one is not one of them."

Scowling, Rogue straightened up to come face-to-face with Platina's own scowl. Bending down to pick up her sunglasses, Platina placed them over her blue eyes. "Then again, you_ vere_ raised by a dragon. I guess I shouldn't blame you for not knowing proper manners."

"What did you just say?" Rogue narrowed his eyes, slit pupils more defined than usual.

Smirking, Platina leaned back on her heels. "Go ahead. You can attack me right now, and you'll only prove you're just as primal as your so-called dragon parent."

If there weren't so many people around, if it weren't so crowded, he would murder this woman. She really knew how to piss him off.

"Rogue!" Frosch began to fly towards his friend.

No. If he gave into her bait, he would only prove her point. Glaring at Platina, Rogue stormed past her, with Frosch rushing to his side.

"Hatred vill never bring Glacia Patin back."

Rogue stopped, turning his head slightly towards the silver witch. "Your point?"

Platina shrugged, keeping that smug grin. "In all honesty, Herr Cheney, you're a pedophile who wants to believe that his lover is back from the grave."

As pure rage boiled in him, Rogue lunged for Platina, drawing the sword he always kept by his hip but never used.

Platina flicked her arms outward, her sickles slipping into her hands at her command. She leapt forward to meet Rogue's blade. At that same moment, she executed a pirouette on the spot, accomplishing two things.

One: The sickle in her right hand caught Rogue's blade and forced it out of his hand, making it clatter against the floor.

Two: With the absence of the sword, Platina was able to touch the tip of her sickle in the left hand against Rogue's neck. Again.

"You might want to hold still, Cheney, unless you're desperate to join your dead lover," Platina sneered.

All around them, a crowd had formed, pointing at Platina.

"Did you see that?"

"She just owned Sabertooth!"

"Hey, move it, people! What's going on here?"

Team Sabertooth and Team Mermaid Heel pushed to the front of the circle to find their team mates.

"There you are, Platina!" Arania let out in relief. "But why are you with him?" she added, pointing to Rogue.

Removing the sickle from Rogue's neck and tossing it into the air, Platina walked back to her team mates as she caught her weapon. "Just a little _guten tag_ from one guild to another, nothing more."

"That girl actually went head-to-toe with Rogue," Orga muttered in astonishment.

"Rogue, pull yourself together." Minerva stepped up, a gloved hand on her hip. "Your team mate has been nothing but a headache since day one. But as the strongest guild of Fiore, we have appearances to keep, especially among the common people, like you," she sneered, curling her lips. "We'll take a simple apology as your way of surrendering the games to us, little upstarts."

Platina threw her head back and laughed. "So let me get this straight," she chuckled, mockingly clapping. "You expect me to apologize to a trash guild filled vith savages and two-faced dogs like you?"

"Platina!" Kagura warned sharply.

"How dare you—" But Rufus was silenced by Minerva, who bore an interested expression on her face.

"This was only a warning. We'll send the message to you later, and you'll understand too late."

Minerva smirked as she walked away from Team Mermaid Heel, the rest of her team in tow. Rogue sent a glance in Platina's direction before he followed.

"Platina!" The rest of Team Mermaid Heel flinched at the change of tone in Kagura's voice. Kagura glared disapprovingly at her team mate. "I warned you, didn't I? If you can't control your own tongue, someday it'll cut itself out."

* * *

Rogue layed back in his room in the penthouse suite, staring at the ceiling._ This is so confusing_, he thought to himself. Indeed, the sight of a girl who was supposed to be dead was frightening to him. But she was real. Frosch ran right into her.

_She still looks the sam_e, he thought, remembering her appearance back at Domus Flau.

_But...what are you doing with Imperial Snow?_ he thought as he closed his eyes, fading into unconsciousness.

* * *

**~Crocus Gardens~**

Sasori strolled down the hallway, passing by his brother before he stopped. "Jigumo."

The spider expert turned his head slightly. "Yeah?"

"How's the project going?"

A fiendish smirk began to creep onto Jigumo's face. "Come with me, bro."

Jigumo led his older twin down several flights of stairs until they reached a door just before the basement floor. He clicked his tongue, and a spider crawled out of his sleeve. It then spit up a key far bigger than its body size.

"That's disgusting," Sasori groaned as Jigumo swung the door open.

"Hey, you and your scorpions hardly have any room to talk."

"Fair enough," Sasori decided as they entered.

The basement was covered in sticky spider thread. From wall to wall, large threads of it stuck, and in the center of the basement was an enormous spiderweb with two cocoons in the middle. One was rather big, about the size of a child, and constricted around whatever was in the cocoon. The other was small, but seemed to grow slowly by the second.

"Couldn't you have gotten a machine?" Sasori asked, disgusted.

"Hey, that machine is pretty expensive, and we'd have to use every penny in the guild treasury just to get it. Besides, where's the fun in that?"

"How much longer?"

"Probably the fifth day, at most." Jigumo leaned back, watching the progress of the smaller cocoon. "How incredibly stubborn. You know how much they fought?"

"Even my scorpions had stung her for days and she wouldn't budge." Sasori began to smirk, revealing two sharp canines. "But in the end...bringing them back to Fiore was the best decision."

* * *

**10:30 PM**

It was actually peaceful. Maybe it was due to the fact that Rogue was sleeping right now.

"Frosch, did something happen today?" Lector whispered.

Frosch nodded eagerly. "Something did! Fro and Rogue saw Mermaid-san today!"

Sting and Lector froze at the froggy Exceed's words. "F-Frosch...that's impossible, she's dead," Sting choked out.

Frosch shook his head vigorously. "Fro isn't lying, Fro saw her! Fro ran into Mermaid-san earlier!"

Lector opened his mouth to scold Frosch, but the look in the Exceed's eyes showed determination. Frosch wouldn't be giving up any time soon. So Lector pulled a photo out of his pocket. "Like her?" he asked, holding the photo out for Frosch.

Frosch held the photo in his paws. "Oh! The pretty lady from last night!"

"Let me see." Sting grabbed the photo, whistling when he saw the girl in the picture. "Damn, she's hot! Lector, where did you get this?"

Lector scratched his head nervously, sweating a bit. "Well, you see...I kinda...borrowed it from Vóreia without her permission..."

"In other words, you stole it," Sting teased.

"Hey, take that back, Sting-kun! Or I'll tell Vóreia you said Glacia was hot!"

"Huh?" Now Sting and Frosch were confused.

"That girl in the photo...that's Glacia with long hair..." Lector mumbled.

"Whoa!" Frosch grabbed for the photo again. "So it was Mermaid-san in the park yesterday!"


	10. Guardian of the North

Chapter 10

**Guardian of the North**

* * *

"But..." Frosch wore a doubtful frown on his adorable face. "When Fro saw Mermaid-san today...her hair was short, not long."

"But it was long last night?" Sting asked, glancing at Rogue's door every now and then. Frosch nodded.

"She looked really pretty, too."

"She could have gotten a haircut," Lector suggested.

"But Fro can't understand why Mermaid-san would run away after Rogue saved her."

Now it was Sting's turn to frown. "Now that," he propped his feet up on the coffee table, "is weird."

* * *

Vóreia prepared to go to sleep, placing her journal back in the valise and reaching for something else when she suddenly realized—_it_ was gone.

_Oh...that's right..._

Slumping, Vóreia sat on the bed she shared with Beth, remembering what she herself had done.

_Why did I throw it away?_ she thought, regretting what she had done to it. Then she remembered exactly why she threw _it_ away.

It was made by _him_.

* * *

Platina stared up at the sky while she leaned against the railing.

"Platina." The silver mage turned her head. Risley stood behind her with a worried look. "Even though I agree with you about Sabertooth... if I were you, I'd take Kagura's words to heart. She already has a handful with Arania...try not to bite off more than you can chew."

Platina nodded, walking back to the door. "Even if I choke...I'll find a vay to swallow it whole—"

Her pulse sped up violently. Sudden pains in her abdomen forced Platina to her knees and made her cough into her hands.

"Platina! Are you—" Platina removed her hands from her mouth. An odd purple substance covered her palms.

"Water," Platina rasped.

"Huh?"

"Just water will be fine," she restated.

"But—"

_"Now."_

With a doubtful look on her face, Risley went in and came out with a bottle of water. Platina snatched it out of her hands, twisted the cap open, and downed it in two gulps.

"Risley, I have a favor to ask you."

"Hm?"

"Can you take my place tomorrow?"

Risley nodded solemnly. "Of course I will."

"Thanks," Platina said, heading back to her room.

"Platina."

"Hm?" The silver mage turned her head back to Risley.

"Don't push yourself too hard."

* * *

The sun peeked through the window as the third day came upon them.

"Platina's not going out today?" Beth asked as she put her shoes on.

On cue, retching noises came from the bathroom, along with violent coughs. Those same sounds had continued nonstop throughout the night.

"She caught something horrible during the night," Risley explained as she fixed her hair. "I told her to take it easy.

Arania knocked on the door lightly. "Platina?" A groan was her only response. "We're gonna go on ahead. Try to get better, girl."

Inside, the toilet water seemed to have been replaced by purple dye. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she turned on the sink while the toilet flushed away its contents.

"Can't believe it," Platina spat as she came out of the bathroom to an empty room. "I mean, sure, but that doesn't give the scorpion asshole the right to poison me! I'm my own person!"

Platina took her sunglasses off, folding and placing them on her night stand. "So it started already, eh?"

She stared out her window in the direction where she knew Crocus Gardens would be. Suddenly, she sneered. "Sorry, but you'll have to do better than that. See if I care."

* * *

"The final score for Incognito!"

Lamia Scale **10P**  
Sabertooth **8P**  
Mermaid Heel **6P**  
Blue Pegasus **4P**  
Fairy Tail B** 3P**  
Imperial Snow **2P**  
Fairy Tail A **1P**  
Quatro Cerberus **0P**

"No offense, but it looks like Quatro Cerberus has no chance of winning this year," Chapati admitted.

**"HEY!"**

"Moving on, our first battle will be Quatro Cerberus' War Cry versus Blue Pegasus Ren Akatsuki!"

Ren shrugged. "Oh well. If I must."

"Remember, War Cry, your soul is always—wild!"

**"Four!"**

* * *

"Say..." Avian tapped the final remaining cloaked figure. "Did anyone see your face yesterday?"

"..."

"The code of silence is only valid as long as the hood stays on. The only way to bypass it is between Imperial Guardians."

Meanwhile, Ren was declared the winner of the match. Next to come up were Laxus and Jura.

"I won't be mad."

"...just two people—er, a guy and an Exceed," the short cloaked person said. "The cat ran into me...I think his name was Frosch?"

Frowning slightly, Avian's hand glowed blue. "Not another word," he warned gently. "Not until this—" The jester tapped the cloak. "—comes off."

"When's that?"

"The main event. And your opponent's a Dragon Slayer too. The—"

* * *

"There's no way Jura-san would ever lose," Lyon declared, wobbling slightly. Even though the spider venom had been negated, that didn't stop Ooba from spinning Lyon around.

"Tied! Fairy Tail B and Lamia Scale earn five points! And now...Sabertooth's Sting versus Mermaid Heel's Risley!"

"Then again...there's no way he could have ever tied."

* * *

"Tch...I'd hoped you'd be more of a challenge."

Sting hoisted Risley's beaten, unconscious body into the air, holding the gravity mage by the neck. No one cheered, the air was filled with a hushed silence. Except for most of Team Sabertooth, whose cruel laughters rang through the stadium.

"Wh-what...S-Sabertooth earns ten points! Risley...is she okay?"

"Risley!" Team Mermaid Heel poured into the arena as Sting released Risley. To add insult to injury, Sting delivered a swift kick to her gut, sending her flying to her team mates.

The gravity mage landed at her team's feet. Arania checked her friend's pulse. _Weak...but it's still there..._Arania glared at Sting, who stood back with a smug smirk. _He really intended to kill her._

"What? If we're a guild full of two-faced bastards, we might as well act like it," Sting sneered. "Hey, we warned you. You should be glad she's even alive."

"Uh-oh! It looks like Mermaid Heel and Sabertooth are about to have a go at it!"

"You—!"

Kagura held out an arm to stop Arania. "Indeed, we brought this fight to you. And we have every intention of ending it. Your warning has been recieved. And here's ours to you: Your days of glory are at an end."

* * *

Bandaged to the point where she almost resembled a mummy, Risley lay on the bed of the infirmary. An attending nurse sighed in relief. "Your friend is out of the danger zone. But we can't let her out just yet."

Beth let out a breath. "Thank goodness."

"Kagura?" Millianna glanced at the swordswoman carefully.

"I'm going to have a word with Platina later," Kagura said. "But for now..."

A Lacrima Vision appeared next to Risley's bed. "Sorry for the delay, ladies and gentlemen, but let's move on to the final match of the day! Fairy Tail A's Wendy Marvell versus Imperial Snow's—um, I don't know how to pronounce that, sorry—Imperial Snow's_ Glacien_?"

Five heads shot up in the infirmary at the name. "Glacien?" Arania repeated.

* * *

"Glacien?" The rest of Team Lamia Scale glanced at their ninja, who was supposed to be their intel on info concerning Imperial Snow. But Dobengal was trying not to look at the Lacrima Vision or the battle in the arena.

"You know who that is?" Lyon guessed.

"Glacien?" Vóreia watched the hooded figure enter the arena. She shook uncontrollably. "It can't be..."

Wendy and Glacien approached each other, meeting at the center of the ring. "Nice to meet you," Wendy greeted.

"..." Glacien simply nodded. With the cloak covering their entire body, and since the voice was unknown, there was no way to tell if Glacien was a boy or a girl.

"Oi! Can't you talk for even one second!" Natsu called down.

"Natsu." Erza pulled Natsu down, nearly bonking his head on the railing.

"Gah!"

"Coincidence, Rogue?" Sting glanced at his partner, who had moved away from his seat. "Glaci_a_, Glaci_en_?"

"..." _I know it's you, but I won't say anything_, Rogue thought as "Glacien" stood back._ But...I don't mean to complain...why are you back?_

* * *

"They know they can remove the cloak now," Mizuno pointed out. After his nose was put back into place, the mirror mage was left a bit more careful of his actions.

"And where's the fun in that?" Avian pulled out two cards from his shirt sleeve. One had two dragons painted on a coat of arms. The other had a silvery line in the middle, cutting a half circle at the top of the page down the middle, creating two quarters of a circle. The left quarter appeared to have a prominent golden crown surrounding it: the sun. Occupying the same half of the page was a cheerful child leaning against the line.

The other half wasn't as bright: the quarter was surrounded by a silvery veil and stars—the moon. Also leaning against the line was a child, but this one seemed a bit more serious than its counterpart.

"The Two Dragons," Avian noted in surprise, turning the card this way and that. "That card is self explanatory. But the_ Mirror_...interesting..."

* * *

"Right, the time limit is thirty minutes!" Mato held up three fingers. "First to surrender or fall loses, and remember, murder is _not_ an option!" The referee glared at the stands occupied by Sabertooth.

Some members of Sabertooth snickered.

"And begin!" The gong was struck.

Wendy took in a deep breath. Doing so, she also caught a familiar scent from her opponent. One that she recognized from last year. But now wasn't the time to think about it. "Arms, Vernier! Enchant!"

"..." Glacien tilted their head slightly. Though Glacien's face was obscured by the hood, it was obvious they were impressed by Wendy's magic.

Wendy moved her right arm in a clawing motion. "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!"

"Oh! Wendy-tan makes the first move!" Chapati exclaimed.

"..." Glacien leapt into the air, avoiding the wind fang. Their right hand came out, but it wasn't a good indicator as to their gender.

The right hand opened up, with several snowflakes hovering over the palm. Glacien blew into their hand, and a horizontal blizzard flew towards Wendy, who jumped higher than normal, being the Sky Dragon Slayer.

"..." Glacien put their hands together, a ball of blue light circulating between them. As their arms surged forward, sharp icicles of different sizes soared, pelting and slicing Wendy's skin.

"Hey, that spell!" Lyon shouted.

"Wendy!"

"I'm okay! But..." Wendy landed back on the ground while Glacien hovered a few inches. "Who are you?"

"...?" Glacien tilted their head in a confused manner.

"What's Wendy doing?" Lucy wondered.

"Oh? Has the little girl figured it out?" Mizuno said curiously.

"It's been a year—and I barely knew her— but I can still remember what she smelled like—and you smell just like her," Wendy continued. "Mint, the air after a snowfall, and mountains."

By now, Team Mermaid Heel returned from the infirmary and were focused on Wendy's words.

"And that icicle spell earlier...she used that too." Wendy then stared at the spot where she knew Glacien's eyes would be under the cloak. "Glacia...that's your real name, isn't it?"

The remainder of Team Imperial Snow had strange smiles on their faces.

All eyes stared at the combatants in the arena.

Glacien simply stood back, silent as the grave. A corner of their mouth twitched.

* * *

**Have any of you ever played Pokémon? Do you know what Will of the Elite Four looks like in HeartGold/SoulSilver? Well, that's what Avian looks like.**


	11. Behind the Veil

**_~Where we last left off~_**

_Glacien simply stood back, silent as the grave. A corner of their mouth twitched._

* * *

Chapter 11

**Behind The Veil**

* * *

A tidal wave of gasps, murmurs, and whispers broke out. The Lacrima Vision were all focused on Wendy and Glacien.

"Oh—Wendy-tan has made a serious accusation! But is she right about Glacien? Could he or she be the ever so cute Glacia-tan from the grave?" Chapati cried.

"As wonderful as that would be for Mermaid Heel," Yajima said, "it would mean that Imperial Snow has used illegal Black Magic to bring her back. But someone else could have restored Glacia. Unless this Glacien's cloak is removed, we have no proof."

"Unfortunately, I must agree with you, Yajima-san."

* * *

"No way that kid's alive." Yaeger cracked his knuckles.

"Think of it this way: if it is her, we can all get our revenge later," Rocker suggested.

A sudden chill washed over Team Quatro Cerberus. Blinking, the men stared at each other. Then War Cry carefully looked to their right. Rogue was glancing at them, and it looked as though he heard every word.

"Strike that, not as long as he's around."

* * *

"Yes, it would piece together perfectly," Rufus noted. "The same magical signature, her scent that this Glacien seems to share, even the magic is the same."

_Add the fact that Rogue and Frosch saw her yesterday_, Sting added in his mind, glancing at Lector, then Rogue and Frosch.

* * *

Beth wiped her eyes. "It's really her, isn't it? It's Glacia, right? It has to be."

"You must be glad, aren't you, Vóreia?" Arania asked.

"...no...that's not it," Vóreia mumbled.

* * *

"Even their height is the same," Chelia said.

"So there's no denying it. That's Glacia," Lyon added.

"You must be relieved, right?" Yuka asked.

"...no."

"Okay, so there's the fact that she'll hate you for killing her—"

"No...that's not it at all," Dobengal said.

* * *

"Let me see your face," Wendy requested.

"..." Glacien remained hovering over the ground.

"Hey, didn't you hear her?" Natsu shouted. "You deaf or something?"

"..." Glacien opened their mouth, but no words came out.

"Can't you...you_ can't_?" she realized.

"...!" Glacien moved their own arm in a clawing motion, cold air and shards of ice rushing towards Wendy.

* * *

"Forget it," Jigumo chuckled, leaning against a pillar. "As long as the code of silence stays, Glacien can't speak."

"You put that other spell on too, right?" Sasori asked.

"Indeed." Avian fiddled with the tarot card, the Mirror. "Glacien can't take it off. The only way to remove the cloak is for the Sky Dragon to attack. But I wonder..._will_ she help remove it?" The jester smiled. "Can she comprehend what she'll encounter behind the veil?"

* * *

"Oi, he just attacked her without warning!" Natsu pointed at Glacien.

"Technically, we have no idea if the guy's a he or a she," Gray interjected. "Even though Wendy says they're a girl. And no one really warns you if they're gonna attack. That's the point of an attack."

"Glacien reminds me of a person I read from a book," Lucy said.

"Oh?"

"There was a man sent to prison centuries ago. No one was allowed to see his face, so he was forced to wear an iron mask," she recalled.

"But that cloak is just cloth, not iron," Erza cut in. "Her opponent could easily remove it at their whim."

"Then why doesn't he?" Natsu asked, confused.

"Because they want Wendy to do it. Glacien...by their movements...it's like they're saying, _'I dare you'_."

* * *

"Sky Dragon's Talons!"

"..." A thin sheet of ice appeared before Glacien, reflecting Wendy's own attack back to her.

"Ice Dragon's Mirror," Gajeel recalled. "Then next should be a hal—"

The glacial sheet folded in on itself, until it resembled a pole weapon with a curved blade on the end. A weapon that was three times the size of Wendy and Glacien.

"—berd?"

"..." Glacien took in a breath and released a line of blue flames, trapping Wendy in a blue inferno.

"Oi, blue flames!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Yeah, like we don't know," Gray muttered.

Through the freezing blaze, Wendy sucked in a breath. "Sky Dragon's—"

Glacien also drew—according to Wendy—_her_ head back, taking a deep breath.

"Dragon Breaths," Sting said.

"That's it," Mizuno coaxed. "You're there."

"Roar!" Though Wendy was the only one who spoke, the Dragon Slayers released their breath. A cyclone tackled a blizzard, and the minute they collided, a shockwave shook everything in the arena. Icicles and snow flew, and a cloak floated in the air.

"That's Glacien's cloak!" Chapati cried.

"Here we go," Jigumo grinned.

"Glacien's face...we're finally going to see it," Lyon said.

The cloak fluttered to earth. Through the mini snowstorm, Wendy could make out a set of blue eyes staring back at her. As the storm cleared, more and more of Glacien's appearance was visible.

Snow white hair topped their head, with the bangs parted to the left. Pale skin accompanied blue eyes, making them look brighter. Even the facial structure was the same!

"It's Glacia-tan!" Chapati exclaimed.

"Glacia!" Millianna cried out.

"She made it after all," Lyon said.

"Mermaid-san's alive!" Frosch teared up. "Fro's—"

But then Wendy got a better look at Glacien as the storm cleared away. Indeed, Glacien appeared to be no older than Wendy. And there were noticeable differences.

Though they were scowling, Glacien's eyes were a bit rounder, and they were royal blue, not glacier. White bangs were parted to the left, but stopped just above the eyes. It didn't cover the entire left side of the face.

And the _clothing_...

"Oh?

Glacien wore a plain simple shirt that was loose around the bottom, and over that was a deep blue long sleeve open jacket, with gold edges and golden zippers on either side, reaching to the mid-thigh. Two dark bracelets adorned his wrists, while a wing-like object with three feathers springing forward was tied around his right arm. A light scarf was tied at the front in a large knot. Covering their legs were loose, oval-shaped patterned pants, with lines intersecting at the middle, reaching below the knees. surprisingly, Glacien wore rather husky boots.

That revealing factor gave everything away.

"She"...was a _he_.

"A-a boy?" Chapati exclaimed.

Shouts of surprise went up, and the Lacrima Vision focused on Glacien. Imperial Snow, on the other hand, had wide smirks on their faces. Jigumo burst into laughter at the sight of Rogue's flabbergasted expression.

"What's going on? Glacien's a boy?" Lector yelled.

"He's a guy?" Lyon sweated. "But—how—do you—?"

"Glacien—is a—I thought..." Sting stammered.

"Fro doesn't understand. Mermaid-san's a boy?"

"This is confusing," Rufus admitted. "But I recall that Glacia was a girl trapped in the form of a child who had yet to go through puberty. This Glacien's the same. The only indicators to his gender would_ have_ to be his clothing."

"Vóreia?" Arania asked. "Do you know him?"

"...yes..."

Wendy, though surprised, remained neutral at this revelation. "What's your name?"

The boy whose face looked almost exactly like Glacia's met her gaze for a moment. "Niebel," he replied. "Niebel Glacien."

_So Glacien is his name_, Rogue thought.

"Who are you?" Wendy asked again. "That form of Dragon Slaying Magic...it's only unique to Glacia. It was _supposed_ to be. How did you learn it?"

"Unique?" Niebel flexed his left hand. "Nothing is unique. You could call your form of Dragon Slaying Magic 'unique' and 'Lost Magic', but collectively, Dragon Slayers are common."

Frustrated that the boy kept dodging her intended question, Wendy tried again. "Who was the dragon that raised you?"

Niebel frowned. "Sissy isn't a dragon."

"Who's 'Sissy'?" Wendy asked, confused.

Niebel looked at Wendy with disbelief. "Sissy is my sissy. And Sissy is my guardian angel."

"Huh?"

Lyon turned to Dobengal with a skeptical look on his face. "Is he messed up in the head?"

"...no."

"You look like her...you smelled like her...you even used Glacia's magic," Wendy said. "If you weren't taught by a dragon, then how do you have Glacia's magic? What were you to her?"

Niebel sighed. "You learned from an actual dragon, right? That makes you a First Generation. And because he had a lacrima implanted, your friend Laxus is a Second Generation, isn't he? And Sabertooth's Dragon Slayers are Third Generations who couldn't even hold a candle to three old-style Dragon Slayers."

"Hey!" Sting gritted his teeth. "Just try saying that to our faces, will you!"

"Will you please answer my question?" Wendy asked.

"If those are the first three generations, what do you think that makes me; a Dragon Slayer who learned from another?"

Wendy gasped. "You mean...Glacia's your teacher?"

Niebel looked at the ground. "She...wasn't just my teacher. She was...the most precious person in the world to me." His right hand gripped the pole weapon that he molded from his ice mirror. "...To her...I'm her family. Glacia...is my older sister," Niebel stated. "And through Sissy, I learned to fly. I'm the dragon that rules over winter, the successor who inherited the will of the original Ice Dragon Slayer. I'm Niebel, the Imperial Guardian of the North."

"EEHHH?!"

Chapati and Yajima's eyes bugged out. Mato was suddenly spinning in confusion.

Wendy's blood stopped flowing at Niebel's declaration. _Glacia's little brother..._she thought, shocked by the great resemblance between the two.

Kagura gripped her sword. "Vóreia...is that true?"

"Glacia's...little brother?" Millianna stumbled.

Vóreia, shaking where she stood, could only nod her head in confirmation as her guild gaped at the boy.

Team Lamia Scale glanced back and forth between Niebel, Team Imperial Snow, and Dobengal, who stared at his sandals in shame.

Just for a moment, everyone could see it: A silhouette of a very female Glacia smiling happily beside Niebel, her right hand up as if waving to Wendy.

A lone drop of sweat ran down Rogue's face.

* * *

**Ah, an author's greatest weapon: plot twist! Did I fool you? Were you expecting this?**

**Remember Niebel from Rave Master? Yes, I got the idea for the name and appearance from there.**


	12. Glacia and Niebel

Chapter 12

**Glacia and Niebel**

* * *

"Uh...um...this is...very difficult to comprehend," Chapati stammered. "But apparently, Niebel is Glacia-tan's little brother."

"Truly, you can see the family resemblance," Yajima nodded. "And we must apologize to Imperial Snow later for suspecting them."

"P-p-pumpkin...there are two Glacias..." Mato was still spinning in circles, his eyes replaced by swirls.

* * *

"Then...the other day..." He couldn't believe it. But the resemblance between them was incredible. Niebel was practically a boy version of Glacia.

It finally dawned on Rogue the events from yesterday. When he thought he had been chasing Glacia...he was really chasing her younger brother. And when he thought Niebel was Glacia, Niebel had run away from Rogue because he didn't know him.

_But...his eyes showed recognition yesterday_, Rogue reminded himself. _Did Glacia tell him about me?_

"Fro's confused. Mermaid-san had a little brother?" Frosch asked.

"But...Vóreia never mentioned anything like this before," Lector said weakly.

* * *

"Your scent..." With his real appearance displayed to the world, Wendy could detect a different scent on Niebel. Morning dew and peppermint. "How were you able to mimick Glacia's scent?"

"Hmph." Niebel bent down to pick up his cloak, holding it out towards her. "Is this what you smelled?"

Wendy's eyes widened. The aroma of mountainous air, a snowy sky, and mint wafted from the cloak.

"You...you used her scent to mask your own?"

"This used to be Sissy's," he said, a reminiscent visage on his face. "When Sissy was the Guardian of the North."

"But...Glacia...she didn't have any siblings," Wendy said._ Except for Hisui_, she thought.

As the ice naginata shrunk until it was twice his size, Niebel crouched into an offensive stance. "Neither do I."

Niebel kicked his feet against the ground as he sped towards Wendy, the naginata's blade glistening in the light.

"Sky Dragon's Ro—"

But Niebel's weapon stabbed itself into the spot where Wendy stood._ "'Give me a long enough lever,'"_ he quoted, pushing his weight down on the pole. And up into the air went Wendy with a chunk of the arena floor.

_"'And I can move the earth,'"_ Rufus finished.

"Ice Dragon's Dance!" Two identical snow streams flowed from Niebel's arms before he sent them spiralling upwards, forcing his opponent into the sky.

"Wendy-tan!"

"That's not all!" Niebel leapt into the air. "Ice Dragon's Wings!"

Members of the audience leaned forward to get a better view of the Lacrima Vision, expecting wings to sprout from Niebel's back.

But a set of wings sprouted on either side of Niebel's boots, lifting him higher into the air.

* * *

Lyon sweated. "Are you sure he's Glacia's little brother?"

"..."

"I get it if you don't want to talk. But...I expected the wings to grow from the back."

"...it's better if they're on his boots."

"Huh?" Chelia tilted her head.

"It's true that Niebel learned this magic directly from Glacia. Ice Dragon's Wings used to be Glacia's spell. But Niebel's magic is more of a variation of his sister's. Same, but different."

"Glacia's wings sprouted from her back, yes," Dobengal continued, "but they grew from her shoulder blades. If anything happened to the wings, her shoulder blades would be damaged. So what do you think would happen if a bird had its wings torn out?"

Lyon winced, suddenly reaching for his back. "I see..."

"I didn't know Glacia even had a little brother," Chelia admitted out of the blue.

"...their resemblance to each other scares you, doesn't it? How Niebel nearly looks exactly like Glacia. That's not even the most terrifying part about them."

"Then what is?" Yuka asked.

"They're not even related."

* * *

"The battle has been taken to the sky! Please enjoy it via Lacrima Vision! Niebel, if you do anything to harm Wendy-tan, I'll halt this match!"

Yajima chuckled. "Unfortunately, only Mato has the power to stop the matches. And Wendy won't be able to leave without a scratch. Of course, neither will Niebel."

"Wendy, be careful!" Charle called up.

In the sky above, Niebel and Wendy exchanged blows, neither side backing down.

"Vernier!" Wendy increased her own speed, dodging most of Niebel's attacks.

"Speed, huh? Then—" Niebel's boots glowed blue as tiny snow streams swirled around him. "Swift winds that run the north: Mistral!"

At first, their speed was evenly matched. Wendy tried to punch her opponent, only to be kicked in the face from underneath by Niebel. Much of Wendy's chin took the damage.

"Wendy!" Romeo yelled.

"You can't hit me, I'm a girl!" Wendy cried indignantly.

"..." The teams and the audience sweated.

"So?" Niebel retorted, his winged shoes beating softly. "Sissy's a girl! And she was never supposed to die!"

* * *

"Uh...when did this match turn into grade school teasing?" Orga muttered.

"Right when it started, I believe," Sting snickered. _"'You can't hit me, I'm a girl!'"_

The two men laughed uncontrollably.

* * *

Everyone in Domus Flau continued to watch what appeared to be two shooting stars colliding with each other.

Niebel caught Wendy's foot as she tried to kick him. "Now I see."

"Huh?"

"Ice Dragon's Roar!" The spiralling burst of snow and ice attacked Wendy head-on, crashing her against the arena floor.

"Wendy!" Her team cried.

"Wendy!" Chelia worried for her friend as Niebel floated down, landing gracefully unlike his opponent.

"Oh my! Niebel is doing as he pleases with Wendy-tan! I warned you, didn't I, Niebel?"

"Oh, hush, we have no say in the outcome," Yajima ushered.

"I thought something was missing. Your magic is weak because you have no strength," Niebel stated.

"Ooohh!" The audience whispered amongst themselves.

* * *

"Is that kid dissing our guild?" Warren yelled.

"Who does he think he is, disrespecting Sis Wendy like that?" Romeo grumbled.

"First that mermaid girl, now the ice dragon—"

Erza had to pull Natsu back by his scarf as he struggled against her. "Let me at him, I'll teach him to call_ me_ weak!"

"This has nothing to do with you!" Lucy exclaimed to Natsu.

* * *

"I lack power? I still have plenty of magic in my reserves!" Wendy got to her feet. "Arms—"

_"Arms, Vernier, Enchant?"_ Niebel finished. He disappeared in a white blur and ran past Wendy. Multiple attacks struck her down. "Don't be naïve!"

"Gah!"

"Wendy!" Charle screamed.

"You're really an airhead. You thought I was referring to your physical power?" Niebel stood by as Wendy got to her feet once more. "Strength and power are two different things. You lack power because you lack strength. If you don't have any reason to fight, I can't see why you're still here."

Gritting her teeth, Wendy moved her arms outwards. "According to your philosophy, my strength is my entire guild! All of their hopes, their wishes, sorrows and grief—I carry it all on my back! We've been the butt of everyone's jokes for years! Every emotion they feel—everything_ I_ feel—that's my strength!"

By now, Fairy Tail was moved by their comrade's words. Makarov wiped away a tear. "I've been such a good parent," he sniffed.

Before she could cast her spell, Niebel appeared before her in a flash. "Your feelings for an entire guild?"

_How?_ Wendy thought._ I didn't see him move!_

"That's not enough!" Niebel yelled, rushing past her as he struck her with Ice Dragon's Piercing Talons.

"Agh!"

"Wendy! Hang in there!" Charle cried out.

"Your reasons for fighting are good, I'll give you that," Niebel admitted. "So strong, you're still getting back up."

"...I told you...as long as I stand...as long as they continue to believe in me...that's my strength," Wendy panted.

_"'As long as they continue'_—you talk as if they're going to abandon you someday."

Wendy flinched as Niebel threw that remark at her.

"Kid's got a sharp tongue," Sting whistled.

"We would never abandon our nakama! Quit making her doubt her words!" Natsu yelled.

"He's really beginning to piss me off," Gray mumbled.

"What's wrong with caring for my family? Their faith in me gives me power! Doubting my family would be an insult to them all!" Wendy declared.

"...heh." Niebel leaned on his heels. "So your strength stems from an entire guild."

"That's right," Wendy shot. She prepared to use her strongest spell, Sky Drill. "So tell me...what makes you strong? What are you fighting for?"

"My reason to fight?" Niebel developed a serious look on his face. "It's my feelings for a _single_ girl. My feelings for her, her faith in me, and the unconditional love she gave me. Everything I do is for Sissy—for Glacia!"

* * *

**~9 years ago~**

_—Diamond Mines._ The rest of the sign was destroyed from the battle to free the slaves.

From the cavern entrance, cheers and outcries poured out as children of mixed ages came out of the mines, covered in dust and rubble, most of them.

"Is that all of them?" A white-furred Exceed with two tails asked, watching her team mates and friends do their separate thing. One tying up the owners, the other counting the slaves.

"Well, we defeated the Diamond Giant," a tan-haired boy called, using the name of the mine owner. He tightened the rope that held the slave drivers together. "Glacia, the slaves?"

The white-haired girl known as Glacia peered into the mine cavern. Sobs bounced off the rocky walls, and the smell of tears followed. "Hang on," she said to her friends, stepping into the cave, taking a lantern with her.

Glacia pulled her cloak closer to herself, willing herself to go down further. There was only one child down here, but it could may as well be a trap, even if her nose didn't pick up anyone else.

The sobbing got louder, and Glacia had to force herself to continue. Waiting for her at the end of the tunnel was a boy with white hair no younger than four, crying his eyes out.

Her eyes softened, feeling sorry for a boy she barely knew. Setting her lantern down on a crate near the boy, Glacia knelt down so she could be at eye level with him. "Everything's okay now. You're free. Won't you stop crying?"

Sniffing, wiping his eyes, the boy looked up at her, his pale face smeared with black ash. His white bangs grew past his blue eyes, covering them effectively. "*Hic*...who are you?"

"My name's Glacia. Can you tell me yours?"

"...Niebel...*hic* just Niebel," he hiccuped.

Glacia brushed away some of Niebel's bangs. "It was hard to see...but you have really bright eyes. And you hide behind all of that hair like a sheep dog, or a shy little ghost."

Instead of crying more, or even yelling out indignantly, Niebel smiled weakly. "We have the same eyes, miss. They're just like mine," he said.

Glacia's mouth parted in surprise, before they formed a smile.

"C'mon. Let's get you out of here," she said, taking his hand.

* * *

"They just had to play nose goes."

Glacia came back from the street vendor, holding a bag full of steaming hot goods for her team.

"..." She looked around herself. She couldn't pinpoint it, but Glacia knew she was being watched. No, not watched...

_Followed._

"Glacia!" The said girl snapped out of her trance to see her team waiting for her by the fountain.

"Aren't you eating?" Dobengal asked, noticing that his friend barely even made a dent in her lunch. Just one bite, and she stopped eating.

"..." Glacia's gaze was fixated on a tree, as if trying to burn a hole through it.

"Glacia?" Vóreia stopped eating her takoyaki. "Is something wrong?"

"...are you hungry?" Glacia called to the tree.

"Huh?" Her companions reverted their gaze to the tree. Niebel came out, a sheepish look from being caught.

"You're that kid from before," Dobengal said.

"Niebel?" Glacia asked. The boy nodded.

"But why are you here?" Vóreia asked.

Niebel bowed deeply as he yelled, "Take me with you!"

"What about your parents?" the older boy questioned. It was then that Glacia elbowed his arm.

That's what made him and Vóreia notice that that particular topic hit a soft spot on Niebel. But the look on his face showed not sorrow, but anger.

"We really are the same, aren't we?" Glacia smiled as she offered her lunch to Niebel. The boy stared at her, then at the lunch in awe.

"F-for me?"

Glacia nodded. Niebel took the food gratefully and tried to eat as civilized as he could. He never had anything more than scraps before in his life.

_...why did you do that?_

Blinking, Glacia turned her head towards Dobengal, who was still eating, just slower than he did earlier.

_There's nothing wrong with helping, is there?_ she thought.

_You barely even know the kid other than the fact that he was a slave from the mines._

_...he reminds me of myself when I was little. Lost, abandoned...it's not fun being left to survive on your own. _Glacia smiled_. It's all right, he'll live._

_So you're taking him with us?_

_Yup._

_You know, nearly all slaves have a brand on them. That's how they identify the enslaved and the free. When we reach the border, those corrupt guards won't let him leave._

Glacia hit her palm with her clenched hand._ They will. Just watch._

Niebel winced, rubbing his upper left arm, right where it met the shoulder. Glacia got up to inspect that spot. Burned into Niebel's skin was a skull and crossbones mark, signalling that he was a slave. And would still be.

Pulling a first aid kit out of her bag, Glacia rubbed some salve on the burn before covering it over with bandages.

"Everything will be all right, okay?" Glacia whispered.

* * *

Once dressed in rags, Niebel now donned a winter jacket, gloves, and boots. Courtesy of Glacia.

"Let's go."

As they approached the border, they were met by their guildmaster, a man in his late thirties with graying black hair. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Niebel holding onto Glacia's arm.

"Can one of you explain why—"

"Glacia wants to take him with us!" Vóreia and Dobengal pointed at the duo.

Nordenburg leaned down a bit to get a better look. "Well, I'll be—you look like siblings! Is he your lost brother or something like that?" he chuckled.

"Um..." Niebel looked at Glacia, who held her foster father's gaze.

"They'll perform a check at the gates. If he's a slave, we'll have to pay a fine—"

"We won't," Glacia said calmly. "Trust me."

At the checkpoint, everyone had to reveal their left arm for inspection. The only person left to do this was Niebel.

Niebel glanced at Glacia, who smiled encouragingly. "It'll be all right," she said.

Slowly, Niebel pulled his arm out of his jacket before lifting his shirt sleeve. The bandages from before were still there.

One of the guards nodded to the other, and guard number two pulled out a pair of scissors from a first aid kit.

Vóreia held her breath as the bandages were cut. Glacia should have known that cloth wouldn't be able to hide a slave brand.

But when the bandages were removed, what was underneath surprised her.

Niebel's upper arm was smooth and clear, not a flaw on his skin in sight. It was as if he had never been branded in his life.

* * *

While everyone else slept under the stars, Niebel got out of his tent.

He wasn't the only one. Glacia stood by the lake, as if waiting for something.

Hesitantly, Niebel came closer. "Um...miss?"

"Hm?" Glacia turned around. "Niebel, you should be asleep."

"But...why aren't you sleeping?"

"I guess you could say...I can't sleep too."

They stood like that, awkwardly, as the winter wind blew past. "Um..miss?"

"Yes, Niebel?"

"Th-thank you for saving me, miss."

"No problem." Glacia seemed to realize something. "Niebel, you don't have to call me miss."

"Huh?"

"It feels weird being called miss by someone younger than me," Glacia admitted sheepishly, rubbing her head. "Especially when you look a lot like me. I mean, you could be my little brother!"

Taken by surprise, Niebel smiled slowly. "Ha..."

"Look! It's the sunrise!" Glacia pointed at the horizon. A warm golden radiance climbed slowly into the winter sky, bringing light to the cold darkness.

Tears began to stream down young Niebel's cheeks, and he hurriedly wiped them away.

"Niebel? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing..." Niebel managed to smile through his tears. "I-it's beautiful...Sissy."

* * *

**~Present~**

"Shattering Light: Sky Drill!"

"Ice Dragon's Mirror!"

_It's no use_, Wendy thought as the ice mirror appeared before Niebel. _Your mirror will shatter._

But when Sky Drill made contact with the mirror, it didn't shatter.

The mirror absorbed it.

"What?" Wendy cried. "But how?"

* * *

"He absorbed the attack?" Lyon exclaimed. "How strong is he?"

It took a while to realize that he had directed that question to someone in particular. "You're asking me?"

"Well, who else knows about Imperial Snow than you?"

* * *

"Sissy saved my life when I was little! As long as I live, I can never repay her enough for what she's done!" Niebel shouted. "That's strength! That's love!"

"What do I think?" Dobengal said. "I think Niebel—"

The ice mirror began to glow as he finished, "That's what makes me stronger than you!" A stream of blue flames were released from his mouth at the same time Wendy's own spell—Sky Drill—burst out of the mirror.

The two attacks collided, and a large blue flame stream struck Wendy head on.

"—has already surpassed his older sister."

All around herself, Wendy could only feel a burning cold sensation. Yet her insides were burning up. Suddenly, the flames heated up. It felt like her skin was melting, but now she was freezing inside.

The blue flames dissipated, and Wendy fell to earth, writhing and shivering. Parts of her clothes were charred, but her skin was tinted blue.

"Wendy!" Fairy Tail cried out in shock at the state of their comrade.

"Wendy, hang in there!" Charle screamed.

"...urm...ugh..." To everyone's surprise, Wendy pulled herself to her knees. Weak and shaking, the Sky Dragon Slayer managed to return to her feet.

"Wendy..." Charle breathed.

"You're still standing," Niebel said in shock. "Why?"

"...it's simple. We're...both fighting for our family. Me and Fairy Tail...you and Glacia...we're...the same."

Niebel narrowed his eyes. "You and I are nothing alike."

_Those eyes_, Wendy thought as she took a step closer to Niebel. _They're just like Glacia's. So sad...and lonely._

"The world can't be sacrificed for a girl," Niebel recalled. "That's what this country chose in exchange for peace. All because you were too scared to die."

"Then what would you have done?" Wendy asked, taking yet another step.

A gentle breeze blew between the two. The wind also played with Niebel's bangs, arranging them so that they covered parts of his forehead and just a side of it. It looked as though he had been forced to arrange his hair to match Glacia's earlier.

"Gladly, I would've let this pathetic world burn to the ground," Niebel declared, "than let Sissy die for this country."

Eyes widening in horror at Niebel's words, Wendy tried to step closer. But her legs gave out, bringing her to her knees. Wendy's eyes began to close as she fell facefirst in the sand.

"WENDY!"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**Suspicions**

* * *

"WENDY!"

Charle flew off the parapet, landing beside her incapacitated partner. Team Fairy Tail A rushed into the arena with the medics. Chelia followed after, only to trip in her haste.

"Weak, and very faint...get her to the infirmary!" A medical officer barked after taking Wendy's pulse. Two doctors nodded, lifting Wendy's body into the stretcher before carrying her away.

Glancing back at his opponent, Niebel began to walk away. Past Mato, who stood frozen in place.

"You!"

Niebel turned his head slightly when a flaming fist came towards him. He ducked and kicked under his attacker's arm.

"Natsu, he's just a kid!" Lucy protested at Natsu's action.

"So? He nearly killed Wendy!" Natsu attempted to reach his opposite only to be blocked by Erza and Gray. "Lemme at him! I'll—"

"Flamebrain, get a hold of yourself!" Gray grunted, holding his left arm back. "We feel the same as you do!"

"Am I really the one you should worry about?" Niebel leaned back, regarding Natsu mockingly. "Your team mate's injured. Shouldn't you be with her?"

"..." Natsu leaned closer, his eyes glaring into Niebel's. "I will fight you, for Wendy's sake, and you'll regret ever messing with Fairy Tail."

Niebel smirked. "Bring it, Salamander."

"That—that—the winner of this battle is Niebel Glacien!" Mato regained his voice. "H-he earns ten points for his team! And we conclude Day Three!"

Sabertooth **50P**  
Mermaid Heel **46P**  
Lamia Scale **40P**  
Imperial Snow **29P**  
Fairy Tail A **28P**  
Blue Pegasus **15P**  
Fairy Tail B **13P**  
Quatro Cerberus** 1P**

"Sabertooth regains their staus as number one, but Mermaid Heel is in hot pursuit! Meanwhile, Lamia Scale has climbed back up to third, and Fairy Tail A is closing in on Imperial Snow!"

* * *

"They're different from each other, aren't they, Rogue?" Sting glanced at his partner. "I mean, sure they look alike. But that kid's more...cold-hearted."

"..." There was truth to Sting's words. Whereas Glacia was cheerful and sad, Niebel was hateful.

Hatred that was fueled by his older sister's murder.

_"'Gladly, I would've let this pathetic world burn to the ground than let Sissy die for this country.'"_

Yes, that was what he would've done too. The world could go to hell in a basket, but Rogue would have Glacia in his arms and he wouldn't care.

"I dare you to say that again!"

"Say..." Lector rubbed his head. "Doesn't that sound like—?"

"Mermaid-san's little brother?" Frosch finished.

A few seconds later, a rough voice yelled in pain.

"Let's go."

The Twin Dragons homed in on the source, a few yards away when the person screaming cried out again.

"Hey—ARGH! You, aren't you gonna do something about your brat?!"

Up ahead, impressively, Niebel had pinned Yaeger to the ground on his stomach. He held Yaeger's right arm in a way that if he even so much as twisted it, the entire arm would break.

"Hey, you guys really don't have any room to call yourselves civilized, either." Jigumo leaned closer to Yaeger, applying pressure to the foot that trapped the underdog's left hand. "After all, you did insult his older sister. Breaking your arm would be way too soft, don't you agree?"

"W-what are—EEEKKKK!" Yaeger shrieked in fear as a large brown arachnid scuttled out of Jigumo's sleeve. He struggled against his captors as the spider crawled onto his arm, clicking its pincers tauntingly.

"Uwah!" Frosch and Lector immediately jumped onto their partners' shoulders, utterly terrified at the sight of the unusually large spider.

Jigumo clicked his tongue twice, to which the spider responded with short and long clicks. "This little lady is a Phoneutria boliviensis. Otherwise known as a wandering spider, armed spider, or even a banana spider, but she likes to be called Olivia."

"Get this bug off me!" Yaeger squeaked as Olivia creeped closer to his elbow. In response, the arachnid let out a series of clicks.

Neither of them spoke spider, but Rogue knew from the speed at which the spider clicked that it was angry.

"You might wanna be careful as to how you address Olivia. This lady belongs to the most venomous spider genus in the world. Even a tiny drop of poison guarantees death," Jigumo sneered as Olivia scuttled back to Yaeger's wrist, where she stood over his pulse point.

"Agh—get it off me!"

"Not until you apologize to us."

"What the hell for?!"

"Hm..." Jigumo mockingly scratched his chin. "One: you insulted Princess Glacia, doing so you purposely provoked Niebel. Two: ...eh, we don't like you."

"The feeling's mutual," Yaeger hissed.

"Hey, you asked for it." Jigumo clicked his tongue, and Olivia the spider prepared to sink her fangs into the throbbing vein.

"I'm sorry!" Yaeger flailed his body in vain, and Olivia retreated slightly, looking to her master. Jigumo shook his head, smirking.

"Sorry, we didn't catch that," the spider specialist yawned. "Olivia—"

"I'm sorry I insulted Glacia, I didn't mean a single word!"

Jigumo raised an eyebrow, bending down until he was nearly at eye level with Yaeger. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," he smirked.

"Wha—urk!" A twist of his right arm reminded Yaeger of Niebel's existence. "All right! I'm sorry I insulted your older sister—"

"Again," Jigumo added.

"Again," Yaeger repeated. "Hey—!" Olivia crawled up his arm, coming closer to his face to the point Yaeger could see her eyes staring at him. He gulped, taking the hint.

"Hm..." Jigumo shrugged, clicking his tongue. At once, Olivia the spider jumped onto his shoulder. How was he not creeped out by that? "Niebel, let go of his arm."

Scowling slightly, the Ice Dragon Slayer released Yaeger's arm while dusting off his own hands.

"Thanks—"

"Hey, consider yourself lucky that you didn't run into Sasori. His favorite game is Scorpion, you know what it is? It's a bit like arm wrestling, but instead of pinning the other guy's arm down, you dig your nails into your opposition's hand, trying to make them let go. Only he plays with actual scorpions. Now imagine this." Jigumo moved his hands as if he were pulling back curtains, unveiling a possible reality. "You're surrounded by countless pregnant scorpions, because you idiotically did something to piss off Sasori—extremely difficult, by the way—or his scorpions—easy to do when they're pregnant. You can see their beady eyes glaring at you, their tails sway as if they're having second thoughts. But then Sasori gives his signal. Suddenly, they scuttle towards you all at once! Their stingers plunge into your skin, injecting their venom into you. The pain is so much, you want to die. But Sasori forcibly feeds you a bottle of antidote every time you nearly pass out, refusing to let you die so easily. And you're forced to endure the torture of endless stings over and over. By the time he calls his scorpion legion back, you're numb from the pain, you can barely bring yourself to walk, let alone crawl."

By now, Yaeger was ghostly white, sweating nervously at the sadistic possibility when he noticed something. Jigumo's foot wasn't on his hand anymore. "You had it easy mutt. Never forget that," Jigumo spat.

Scrambling to his feet, Yaeger ran away on all fours before he remembered how to walk like a person.

Jigumo cracked up, shaking his red and black head of hair. "I can't believe he actually fell for it!"

"Th-they're demons," Lector whispered in fear.

At the sound of his voice, Jigumo and Niebel turned towards their new guests, causing Lector and Frosch to flinch.

Niebel's eyes flashed when he met Rogue's. "Hey!" He pointed at Rogue. "You're the guy who was chasing me yesterday!"

"..." _I should have known he'd say that_, Rogue thought.

Sting almost burst out laughing—almost meaning that if he did, Rogue would get his revenge later. "Really?"

"Let me guess." Jigumo rested an arm on Niebel's head, much to the younger boy's annoyance. "You thought Niebel was Glacia, didn't you?"

"...yes," Rogue admitted grudgingly.

Jigumo grinned. "Don't feel bad. We're all human—we all make mistakes. Once, I thought I was talking to Niebel when it was really Glacia, and I ended up getting a kick to the face when I said—"

"Jigumo-san." Niebel threw his comrade a disturbed look, like whatever Jigumo had said in the past was very explicit.

"Right, I forgot Glacia Minor was still here." Jigumo leaned back. "All right, Nieb, we should be heading back."

"Don't call me Nieb—" Something in the hallway caught his eye. Whatever it was caused Niebel to bark out one word in another language. "Traoidhtear!"

"What—" But one look at the corridor Niebel was focused on had Rogue snarling.

"Niebel, what's—Dobengal, nice to see ya!" Jigumo called in surprise, but with an undertone that was trying to say, "Get out of here before Niebel throws a tantrum!"

"Ji—"

"You!" Niebel stormed over to Dobengal. "I can't even stand to look at you after what you've done! You promised me! You promised that you would always—ALWAYS—protect Sissy!"

"Niebel!"

Niebel stopped his onslaught as Vóreia flew over.

"Vóreia!" Jigumo sighed in relief. "Thank goodness you're—!"

But Niebel lifted his right arm, his thumb and index finger put together when he released the latter. Instantly, a blast of air blew through the hallway as Vóreia was thrown back, hitting the opposite wall.

"Niebel!" Jigumo called sharply.

"Vóreia!" Lector flew towards his girlfriend, every bit the concerned boyfriend he promised he would be.

"I—I'm fine," she reassured. "Niebel—"

"Don't think you can get off scot-free," Niebel snarled. In all his years, Jigumo had never heard Niebel snarl before. "Vóreia, weren't you the one who told Sissy,_ 'you have my full permission to die?'"_

A cold draft passed through the intersecting corridors. Rogue hesitantly glanced between Niebel, whose glare could melt an entire iceberg, and Vóreia, who was shaking in her fur. "Niebel...what are you talking about?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Playing dumb? Then tell me: who was it last year...that said these words to Sissy?" Niebel cleared his throat, and when he spoke, he sounded exactly like the split-tailed Exceed. _"'Live how you want, die how you want—but don't you dare drag me into this. Tiamat is your responsibility. Tomorrow...you will fight only for yourself. I don't care if you win or lose. But remember this: you have my full permission to die.'"_

Vóreia froze in shock as Niebel threw those cruel words back to her. That horrible day returned to her mind, when Glacia had asked her to forgive her. But in her rage at her words, Vóreia had struck her partner. And she said those words...and crueler.

Niebel sighed in disgust. "I can't believe I looked up to you guys."

"Hold it."

Niebel glanced back at Rogue. "Yes?"

To say that Niebel was cold was an understatement. Like his surname, he was a glacier. Appealing on the outside, but chilling to the bone. "Your older sister," Rogue began, a bit uncomfortable with Niebel's glower. "You recognized me yesterday...did she tell you about me?"

"No," Niebel said bluntly. "I've never heard of or met you before in my life."

* * *

"...mhn..."

"She's waking up," a voice said.

Wendy opened her eyes wearily, blinking at the harsh brightness of the lights. Both Fairy Tail teams stood beside her bed while Charle sat on a stool beside Porlyusica. "Everyone..." She hid under the blanket. "I-I'm sorry..."

"Don't say that," Gray said.

"Gray-sama's right, Wendy-sama," Juvia agreed.

"...but I lost...I should have been strong enough to keep standing. We would've gotten five more points—"

"No, Wendy," Lucy assured. "You did great."

"If anyone should be sorry, it should be that Ice Dragon bastard," Natsu said in a low voice.

"...don't call him that," Wendy murmured, peeking over the covers.

"You really are a good person, Wendy." Erza smiled.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but this girl has to rest. Can you leave?" Porlyusica asked.

"Right. You need your energy back," Laxus agreed, headed for the doors. Fried followed after.

"We'll be back tomorrow, Wendy. Try to get better," Lucy promised.

Wendy nodded as they left. The door shut behind her guild mates.

"You have every right to be angry at your opponent," Porlyusica said as she stirred a concoction. "Why do you choose not to?"

"...I can't bring myself to be angry at him. I just feel...sorry for Niebel," Wendy murmured. "I don't think he meant to be mean. He just...really misses his older sister...If I ever lost you, Charle...I'd act the same way..."

Porlyusica couldn't help but smile. "Now I see why the Sky Dragon chose you."

* * *

Vóreia sat on the edge of the wall. Her feet and wings brought her back here...to the same park where she and Glacia had their worst fight. More like an argument on Vóreia's side. Glacia never yelled at all.

_I practically disowned her too_, Vóreia thought.

"You all right?"

"...I'm fine, Lector," she mumbled.

"Don't let what that kid said get to you," the red-furred Exceed said. "He just threw a temper tantrum after seeing—"

"I only made it worse," Vóreia added.

"You did not!" Lector insisted. "Niebel probably said that out of anger and blamed you—"

"He had every right to blame me," she whispered quietly. Vóreia sniffed as tears threatened to spill. "I—I said those words to her."

She was met by silence from Lector, and Vóreia flew around until she recognized a certain spot. "Right...here," she murmured. "Last year...the fifth day...she told me she was planning to utilize Tiamat for the final day."

"You mean...Tiamat didn't come out of her own will?" Lector asked.

"Oh, she did," Vóreia replied wearily. "But...I didn't want that. Because...if she couldn't tame her darker psyche...I knew Glacia would disappear forever. The worst thing is...I said I wanted her to die than let her use Tiamat."

It was getting harder to breathe as she remembered how she spent the final days of the Grand Magic Games treating her best friend with contempt. "And you know what? Even though I was furious with her, not once did she do the same. And then...she said the strangest thing I ever heard her say. She asked me to forgive her."

"And," she continued, on the edge of hysteria. "I didn't think. I was so angry with Glacia...that I struck her."

Tears began to flow freely as Vóreia recounted her story, completely unaware of Lector, who was flying towards her. "I-I didn't know what was going through her mind at that time. I didn't know how she felt. But...I ignored her...and only thought about myself..."

_Was it my fault?_ Vóreia thought. _Was it because of me? Was I the one...who pushed you to your death?_

_I wanted a 'clean' me. A me who could accept both sides of Glacia: the beauty and the beast. But...I openly shunned her darker psyche. I wanted her to remain the person I wanted her to be._ "I—I wanted her to live!" she wailed.

Two furry arms wrapped around the white, split-tailed Exceed. Vóreia cried silently on Lector's vest, murmuring, "I didn't mean to say it..."

A high pitched scream rang through the evening, laced with pure terror.

"What was that?" Lector asked.

* * *

Chelia clung to her cousin, her eyes wide with fear over the sight she discovered just minutes after they ate. It was supposed to be a nice stroll back to their lodgings, disrupted when the Sky God Slayer noticed something in the river.

If only she hadn't looked.

"There, there. It's all right," Sherry soothed, doing her best to calm her cousin. For a moment, it actually worked.

But then the police came around the corner. Two officers were hauling a dark body bag between themselves. Knowing what was in there, Chelia fainted immediately.

The constable adjusted his cap uncomfortably. "Frankly, I can't blame the girl for being terrified. Truthfully, I'm also disturbed. It's not everyday you discover a corpse in the river."

"Sir!" The constable spun around in time to see two more junior officers rushing towards him. They panted harshly, trying to regain their breath. "One...two more..."

The official paled considerably, but kept his composure.

Something in Lyon's left pocket radiated heat. Pulling it out, he discovered it to be the nation-wide mission posted to every legal guild in the world. The search for the kidnapped and their abductors.

_I almost forgot about this_, Lyon realized.

"Yours too?" Yuka asked, holding his own. Each member of Team Lamia Scale had a different person to look for, but were all told to get as much info on the abductors as well.

The constable noticed what they were holding. "It could be a coincidence...but since one of your members discovered the body, I can let you see if the corpse matches up with any of yours."

Nodding to his colleagues, the body bag was unzipped. Sherry covered her mouth, her skin tinted green at the sight of the corpse that made her cousin faint. Jura's nose wrinkled slightly at the stench. And Lyon wondered exactly how cruel the world could be.

A young girl slept eternally within the bag, a permanent frown on her face as if she knew something was wrong before she died. But that wasn't all. The left side of her torso was carved open, like an autopsy had been performed. Only the wound was made long ago.

"Does she match up with any of yours?"

"...no," Jura finally decided. "But...whoever the perpetrator was...it seems that they were looking for something."

"They got it, too," Yuka said, leaning forward for a closer look. At the same time, he was trying not to get too close. "Her heart is missing."

"What about the other bodies?" Lyon reminded. "You said there were two more."

"W-well..." The constable shifted his cap. "That's where it gets weirder."

Three more zippers were pulled down, and Sherry could be found in a condition identical to Chelia's.

A grown man lay dormant in the baggy coffin. He was ghostly white in death, his lips were sewn shut as if to emphasize the phrase, "Dead men tell no tales."

Not with their mouths, anyway.

Lyon examined the man's face. "Hey, I got this guy," he said. There went his reward. But now was hardly the time to put money before lives.

"Look closer." Dobengal pointed to a spot on the man's neck, where two puncture marks could be seen.

"Yeah...it looks like he was bitten by something," Yuka noted.

"But he was abducted," Lyon argued.

"Unless he managed to escape his captors," Jura added, "but met a poisonous snake in his attempt?"

They were met by a pregnant silence, broken only when the constable cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, to break the little detective game, we found no poison in his body. Or, it would be easier to say, there was no_ blood_ in his body."

"The first had no heart," Yuka summed up, "and this one has no blood. What about the last corpse?"

He must have hit a sore topic. The constable wore a somber expression this time, like he was trying to keep himself from crying. "I—I apologize. But...the last body...it's too sad..."

Nothing could have prepared the four men as the last bag was opened.

An infant with glacier blue eyes stared back at them. Their horrified expressions were reflected in its glassy eyes.

* * *

**10:45 PM**

Arania's eyes widened in shock as she stared at her tiles. What was meant to be a fun word game unveiled something else for the web mage.

"Arania?" Millianna snapped her fingers in front of her guild mate. "Hello? Anyone in there?"

"Guys?" Arania's voice seemed to come from far away, like a ventriloquist throwing their voice. "When did Platina join the guild?"

"...June first, one month ago," Beth said hesitantly. "I thought you remembered that."

"I do...it's just...last year...that was the same day Glacia entered the guild."

Millianna's hand stopped in midair, her fingers holding a 'G' tile. "And?"

"Platina always wears sunglasses, even though it's never too sunny outside."

"She could have poor eyesight," Beth insisted. "They might be prescription sunglasses."

"Yes," Arania trailed. "But on the first day, Platina was able to zero in on Gajeel to get her sunglasses back. She couldn't have had flawed eyes to have been able to do that."

"And her name." Arania grabbed a handful of letter tiles and sorted through them, lining up certain letters to spell a name.

**Gaci Platina**

"If only we had a comma," Millianna added.

"No," Arania stated firmly. "Like this, it's clearer. Look what happens if I rearrange the letters."

Swiftly, the web mage put some space between the 'g' and 'a' of Gaci and inserted the 'l' from Platina. Then she removed the last 'a' in what was now Patina and gave it to Glaci.

Beth covered her mouth at what the letters spelled out. Millianna gasped, surprised at the resulting anagram.

"And," Arania added. "Platina's eyes are blue."

* * *

**11:12 PM, **Library

A bandaged hand dropped a newspaper clipping, shaking as its owner realized something.

"Something's up," Lyon noted.

"Want to share it with us?" Yuka joined in.

"...Imperial Snow requested to become a legal guild of Fiore almost a year ago," Dobengal said. "But they weren't approved until the start last month. However...Niebel had to have come before that request. How else would he have known what Vóreia said last year?"

Yuka frowned, his large eyebrows slanting downward. "You think he came here illegally?"

"Immigration is one thing," he continued. "Sightseeing—that's a different matter. Most likely he could have arrived last year to see Glacia in the Grand Magic Games, and to surprise his older sister."

Jura came in with a newspaper article. "Thought this would come in handy," he said.

"Thank you, Jura." The ninja trainee laid out the paper. It just described the reconstruction of Mercurius. "Isn't it convenient," he pointed out, "that Glacia—" He felt pure guilt as he said her name, as he always did. "—that her body was never found?"

Lyon leaned in to read the paper. "It only takes a bit of money to influence the media," he replied lowly.

"Or...someone else could have found her body. Somebody...like Niebel."

* * *

July 4, 10:00 AM

"And we're back! The fourth day of the Grand Magic Games! Today's guest judge is the guild master of Mermaid Heel, Avia!"

Avia smiled lightly. "Pleasure to see everyone here."

* * *

Sasori tsked, scolding himself for forgetting where he was supposed to go. How was it that he was able to locate his team's stands the last few days, but couldn't now?

_Right, I was following the others_, he thought.

"Sasori!"

The poison mage spun around, grinning when he saw his former comrade walk towards him. "Dobengal! What are you doing here?"

"I was actually hoping to meet you, in order to ask a few questions. I hope you don't mind?"

"Fire away."

Dobengal took a step forward. "Your reasons for coming to Fiore...what were they?"

Sasori leaned back on his heels, similar to his younger brother, the spider specialist. He wore a troubled expression.

* * *

Wendy woke up groggily, unfamiliar with her surroundings before she remembered exactly where she was.

"Grandeeney?"

"I told you not to call me that," Porlyusica complained with a small smile that Wendy couldn't see.

"I was wondering...if there are spells that can fix an eye and return magical power...what about spells that revive the dead?"

Porlyusica stopped preparing the potion. She set the beaker down to glance at Wendy. "That is illegal Black Magic," she said sternly. "Difficult to carry out, disastrous if wrong. Even if it were successful, there would be repercussions from the Council."

The elderly woman sighed. "It's that boy from Imperial Snow, isn't it?"

"Y-yes. He and Glacia...they're so much alike. Even their eyes...even though their shade is off...they both share that same look. Like...they're both desperately searching for a way to die," Wendy murmured. "If only there were a way to bring Glacia back."

Porlyusica sat next to Wendy's bed. "You have your heart in the right place," she said. "There is a spell that can breathe life back to the dead. True, your opponent would be ecstatic. But ask yourself this: Does Glacia_ want_ to return from the grave?"


	14. Chapter 14

**What can I say? Finals are coming up, I'm barely floating in history and biology. I need to stay alive in school! So if the quality sucks, I was doing history homework while writing this!**

Chapter 14

**Maximum Ride**

* * *

"Today's game is Maximum Ride! Will the teams choose one person to represent their guild?"

"Do it, War Cry! Your soul is always wild!"

"FOUR!"

**Quatro Cerberus**: War Cry

Lyon looked around, annoyance written all over his face. "Where is that guy?"

"Now that you mention it, that gladiator from Imperial Snow is gone, too," Chelia said.

Yuka shook his head. "I'll go, if it means that much?"

**Lamia Scale**: Yuka Suzuki

Gray shrugged. "What the heck?"

**Fairy Tail A**: Gray Fullbuster

Juvia's eyes were replaced by hearts. "If Gray-sama's going, Juvia wants to join too!"

"Are you sure, Juvia?" Mirajane asked worriedly.

"Remember how you lost to Gray the other day?" Gajeel warned. But their protests were met by deaf ears as Juvia floated over to the competitors.

**Fairy Tail B**: Juvia Lockser

"Wait, Yuka! Switch with me!" Lyon called.

The Surge simply waved his hand, as if to say, "As if!"

**Sabertooth**: Orga Nanagear

**Blue Pegasus**: Ren Akatsuki

"Platina." Kagura glanced at the silver mage. "You're going today. No complaints, the rest of you," she barked as Arania opened her mouth.

Platina shrugged nonchalantly as she walked away.

**Mermaid Heel**: Platina

"Oh?" Jigumo lifted his eyes from the little spider on his finger. "Let me handle this, guys."

**Imperial Snow**: Jigumo

"All right, is everyone here?" Mato clapped his hands. "Okay, pumpkin! Let's go to the game field!"

* * *

Certain roads in the city had been flagged, with road blocks running parallel along the lanes. A bright red line was drawn. Behind it, eight motorcycles stood proudly, each with their own helmet and Self-Energy plug. Some helmets were larger than others, as were some vehicles

"Is this a race track?" Ren asked.

"Ladies and gents," Mato began, grinning like a child with a new toy, "welcome to Maximum Ride: The high speed magical grand prix!"

Cheers could be heard all the way from Domus Flau.

"The rules are quite simple, pumpkin," Mato said. "Once the signal is given, you have one hour to complete five circuits around the race track we have marked. The track itself is approximately 10 miles long, so you have fifty miles to complete, pumpkin. First to complete five circuits gets first place, and so on. Of course, that's_ one_ way you could win, pumpkin," he added darkly.

"Then what's the other?" Gray questioned.

"Well, being wizards, of course all of you will try to sabotage your opponents. And we accept that. But take into account your magic levels. The SE plug drains your magic depending on how fast you go, pumpkin. So if one contestant is pushed off the track, that person gets eighth place. In the event that no one completes five circuits, your scores will instead be based on how many circuits you completed."

Platina raised an eyebrow. "Then why don't we turn this into an endurance race?"

"Because that would be too long, totally unfair, and it would point out which contestants are weaker. Like Quatro Cerberus," he muttered.

"Hey!"

"Anyway, there's nothing different about the motorcycles. They're all identical except in design. It's the rider that's unique, pumpkin," Mato chuckled. "Now take your pick, and we'll start."

* * *

Wendy's face fell in confusion. "Grandeeney...what do you mean?"

"It's something that's often overlooked in Necromancy," Porlyusica explained. "Humans only ever think about themselves. The dead are toys a Dark mage can repair on a whim."

"But Niebel—"

"Yes, he suffers from his older sister's death. But does he consider his sister?"

"Think about it," she continued with a serious look. "Suppose a person suffered everyday unjustly when they were alive. In their graves, they finally find the happiness they desperately sought in life. But then they are ripped away, and they return to the world they never wished to see again."

Realizing what Porlyusica was getting at, Wendy lowered her head.

"The living may live; the dead must remain dead. Humans...you never understand what the deceased wish to stay."

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen! Presenting to you live from Crocus: Maximum Ride!" Mato crowed. "Our contestants are ready, their motors are running, and—"

A loud bellow could be heard over from Domus Flau saying, "Just get on with it!"

"All right, pumpkin!" Mato grumbled. "In five, four, three, two, **ONE**!"

A starter pistol went off, eight motors revved, and dust clouds were thrown into the air. "Maximum Ride has begun!"

Orga sped past the others, who were close behind.

Yuka extended one of his arms—surrounded in elongated light—towards Platina. "Wave Seal!"

But his attack somehow missed her and targeted Juvia instead. "Huh?"

"Yuka, how dare you cancel Juvia's magic!" Lyon fumed.

"But how did—" Platina reappeared within his line of sight, now speeding towards War Cry.

Her hand glowed with silver light. "Silver-Make: Daggers!"

Three silver daggers appeared between her free hand's fingers. Holding two in her mouth, Platina hurled the one towards War Cry.

War Cry slowed down, but the knife cut the cables that connected to the brakes and the accelerator pump.

Platina mock saluted him. _"Auf wiedersehen!"_

"Oh my! Platina has sabotaged War Cry's bike! He can't slow down or stop!"

The SE plug that connected to War Cry's wrist overinflated as he sped past the others, even Orga, much to the latter's annoyance.

"On the other hand, War Cry is in the lead with 1.2 circuits—"

"He just needs to steer clear and we'll win!" Rocker insisted.

"Oh no you don't!" Orga came from the left and rammed into War Cry. The underdog lost control of his bike for a moment but regained it.

The SE plug connected to War Cry's wrist burst. The bike stopped abruptly, hurling him into the lake.

"And War Cry is O-U-T out!"

"Now we can get serious!" Jigumo yelled, speeding past the starting line.

"As of now, Orga is in the lead with 1.5 circuits, Jigumo is close behind with 1.3 circuits, followed by Platina with 1.2 circuits! Here comes Ren with—what_ is_ that on Yuka's bike!"

Too late. Yuka's SE plug popped, sending the Surge crashing into a brick building. What appeared to be a mechanical spider scuttled out of what was once Yuka's engine.

"Oh, and Yuka takes seventh place!"

"Damn, I should've sealed his magic when I had the chance," Yuka muttered.

Jigumo snickered. "He could have. I doubt my spiders would take notice."

"Ice-Make: Lance!"

Jigumo steered clear of the ice barrage, retaining that same sneer he wore on the second day. He took in a deep breath and spat a purple glob at Gray.

The ice mage slowed down, avoiding it effectively. But the purple substance landed in Ren's eyes.

"Agh!" Ren shut his eyes in pain, an unbearable stinging sensation pulsing through them. Without his vision, Ren crashed into a statue.

"Ooh! Ren of Blue Pegasus takes sixth place!"

"Poison?" Gray said aloud.

"Hey, he was unlucky enough to have taken it in the eyes," the spider specialist called. "That's the worst place to be poisoned. If he doesn't get treated immediately, he goes blind!"

"Bastard!" Gray snarled.

Jigumo snorted. "Born one and proud of it, stripper!"

Before he could come up with a better insult, Gray heard one of his tires squeal. And he stopped abruptly. Looking down, Gray found a silver dagger in his front tire.

Damn it! He thought as the others drove past him.

"Gray-sam-aahh!" Juvia cried. Her bike lost balance, and the water mage bounced off the road several times before she finally landed in a fountain.

"Platina has wiped out Gray, now in fifth, and Juvia, who forcibly accepts fourth! And now we're down to Orga, Platina, and Jigumo—all of whom are on their fourth circuit!"

Platina's bike began to slow down against her will, but both Orga and Jigumo were rearing to go.

"What's wrong, little silver?" Jigumo taunted. "Can't take the heat?"

"Rgh...!" Platina steered away from a black lightning shot from Orga. Glaring at the men ahead of her, she converted nearly the rest of her magic while she reached into her right boot.

"Lightning God's—" Something blasted the tires on Orga's bike. The God Slayer was thrown off his bike violently.

"No way!" Orga yelled at Platina. "You're not supposed to have magic left!"

"Pft! You_ dummkopf!"_ Platina held up a pistol in her right hand. "You don't need magic to power a gun!"

"Final circuit!"

Jigumo grinned. "Feisty, huh? Just my type! That is, if you weren't—"

Something caused Jigumo to hold his right ear. A confused look appeared on his face before it faded just as quickly.

**POP!** Jigumo's SE plug burst. He halted abruptly before quickly jumping off.

"Platina's the last one on track! Then by default, Platina is the winner of Maximum Ride!"

Mermaid Heel **10P**  
Imperial Snow** 8P**  
Sabertooth **6P**  
Fairy Tail B** 4P**  
Fairy Tail A** 3P**  
Blue Pegasus **2P**  
Lamia Scale **1P**  
Quatro Cerberus **0P**

* * *

_Sasori, you'd better have a good reason for this_, Jigumo thought.

Earlier, Sasori sent his younger twin a telepathic message.

_"'Help me out. He knows.'"_

"Eesh, bro. Can you not handle one little spy on your own?" Jigumo grumbled as he headed out to find his twin who possessed no sense of direction whatsoever.

* * *

"I guess I can't hide it from you, can I, old friend?" Sasori sighed. "Yeah, Niebel came here last year. He left just a week after Glacia but came a bit later."

"Did he ever mention G—?"

"Well, did you think he would leave his sissy's body crushed under all that rubble?"

A breath of relief. "But...I can't help but wonder...what did you do to the body?" Dobengal asked.

Sasori flinched slightly. He regained his composure quickly. "We buried it," he answered hesitantly. "Or rather, Niebel did. At the Glacian Lake, where Glacia grew up."

The two had a staring contest. Mismatched eyes pleaded with brown to believe him.

Dobengal bowed his head. "I see. Well, sorry to hold you up, Sasori."

"No problem," Sasori said, walking past his old comrade. Slowing down a bit, the gladiator withdrew a syringe needle from his pocket with what seemed to be dried blood on the tip.

Sasori spun around, towards Dobengal's exposed back. The needle glistened as it aimed for the neck.

_Chink!_

The needle tip broke. Sasori's needle was countered with a glowing knife from the ninja.

"Aha."

"Very good," Sasori commented. "When did you start doubting me?"

"I didn't believe a single word," came the reply.

"Heh. So you grew brains during the last few years. You're not as gullible as before."

A tiny pinch on his neck, and Dobengal fell, only to land on a certain spider mage's back.

"Man, oh man. One ninja, Saso. _Just one_! Couldn't you handle it?" Jigumo grunted, shifting the weight on his back. A tiny spider nestled in his hair after crawling off of its prey.

"Jigumo—you..."

"Simply put, man, you know too much now," Jigumo said as he walked away, carrying his poisoned ex-comrade on his back. He chuckled. "Hey, don't be sad. We're going back to the orphan's guild where we all grew up! Us orphans gotta stick together, right? Who knows? If I feel merciful, I might even help you see your crush in the afterlife."

* * *

"Our first tag battle: Mermaid Heel's Kagura and Platina vs. Avian and Sasori!"

"Gaci Platina, Platina Gaci." Avian bowed to the female mages, but his gaze lingered on one. "I know you."

Kagura glanced at Platina, who narrowed her shaded eyes at Avian.

"I remember everything about you." Avian smiled as he flipped a card with a yin-yang symbol on it. "I even recall the day Glacia met you."


	15. Descendent

**So a number of you noticed, before I revealed it in chapter 13, Platina's name. You rearranged the letters, and they spelled out Glacia's name. Yes, I planned this out. And congrats to those who noticed it!**

Chapter 15

**Descendant**

* * *

"But...that can't be right," Arania said weakly. "Her name...the day she arrived...the eyes—"

"Platina...she knew Glacia?" Beth mumbled.

"That's impossible," Vóreia spoke, trembling. "Because if Glacia knew Platina, I would have known too."

"And Platina...she told us she was a slave in the mines," Millianna remembered.

* * *

Sasori tilted his head at the jester. "Avian, what are you—?"

The Imperial Guardian of the East paid no attention to the gladiator. "Twister!" he bellowed, sweeping one of his arms out.

The wind picked up violently, but Kagura and Platina held their ground.

Kagura turned her head in the silver witch's direction. "Platina, do you have anything to say about this?"

"..." Platina brandished her sickles, but didn't strike. Not yet. She glanced back at Kagura. "What good vould it do if I told you my past now?"

"I think it would make all the difference, Platina," Avian sneered in her ear. Platina spun around, her sickle only scratched the jester's tie. At the same time Avian dodged the attack for his head, Kagura swung Archenemy. But the air mage jumped, somersaulting across the arena to Sasori's side.

"I don't know what your ties are to Platina," Kagura said in a low voice. "But she couldn't have any ties to Glacia. Platina was a slave."

"Miss Mikazuchi—you actually believe her silver tongue?"

Kagura hesitated for a moment.

"Oh, for the love of—Avian, what's going on?" Sasori huffed.

"Our silvertongued friend here is quite the con artist," Avian chuckled. "Then again, all of us were. And still are."

"Silver Make: Legion!" Platina yelled.

The familiar silver seal reappeared before Platina. An army of soldiers stormed from it, charging towards the Imperial Guardians.

"Sasori!"

"Right!" Sasori took a deep breath. When he opened his mouth, he spat a large amount of poison at the silver warriors. The precious metal tarnished under the corrosive substance, rendering them immobile.

"It was the year X779, when Glacia was six," Avian drawled.

"Avian," Platina called out, making a beeline for the Imperial Guardian. "Will you learn how to shut up!" she finished, using her sickles to mince him. Again, he dodged her attack.

Sasori appeared behind her and breathed a purple smog from his mouth.

"Platina!" Arania yelled.

As if in response, Platina burst from the cloud, unaffected by the haze.

"_You_ were a pretty little doll child, tiny and petite with cute rosy cheeks," he continued, completely unphased. "You used to play with Glacia everyday, and in the blink of an eye, the two of you were inseparable. Every time she came to the guild, you were always with her."

"_'Tiny and petite with cute rosy cheeks_,'" Sting repeated, trying to imagine Platina like that. The image of a bipolar six year old came to mind: one minute sweet, the next—hardcore delinquent. Sting shuddered. "The guy must be crazy."

_He has to be lying_, Rogue thought._ I can't see how someone like** her** was her friend._

* * *

"But—but..." Vóreia held her head in confusion, her tails swaying left and right. _That can't be right_, she thought. _But Avian seems so confident!_

She closed her eyes, racking her mind for a memory—anything that would confirm Avian's words. But she couldn't find a black-haired girl who played with Glacia daily. _I would've remembered!_ Vóreia reminded herself._ I grew up with her, for crying out loud!_

**~Flashback~**

_"A slave...sharpshot...arriving on the same date...Something doesn't add up," Beth reasoned._

_"I can only come up with two theories," Arania said, resting her elbows on her knees. "One is that Platina is Glacia herself."_

_"But that's impossible," Millianna said. "Glacia died, her body was never found."_

_"Plus, a name, blue eyes, and a date aren't enough," Beth added. "We need more proof than that."_

_Arania sighed. "I know...and that's why there's option two."_

_"And that is?"_

_The web mage opened her eyes. "Platina...is someone else entirely."_

* * *

"Platina!" Kagura rounded on Platina, who stood solemnly. "Is it true?"

Platina met the swordswoman's eyes. "As I said before, what good would—"

**SMACK!** Platina hit the wall, spitting blood on the ground. On her right cheek was a perfect imprint of Kagura's left fist.

"What's going on! Kagura has just turned on her own team mate!" Chapati cried.

"Kagura, what are you doing!" Avia exclaimed.

Avian stretched out an arm to stop Sasori, an amused look on his face.

"Answer me, Platina Gaci," Kagura snarled, gripping her sword.

Wiping her mouth, Platina stood on her feet. "So what if I did?" she replied. "Glacia...she vas so pitiful. Anyone with eyes could see that. Under that silly, bubbly face...she knew what sadness was more than anyone else. The only reason why I existed was to take away those feelings."

Kagura put a hand on the hilt, her hands shaking. "How many lies," she hissed. "How many lies had to come out of your mouth until you were satisfied?"

"As many as it took," Platina replied, brushing off her jacket. "Glacia was such a pitiful existence. She was even a lab rat for—"

Platina moved away from the wall as a purple dagger nearly hit her. The blade melted away as a purple glob, dissolving parts of the wall too.

Two poison darts hit Platina's arm.

"Whoops," Sasori mocked. "My hand slipped."

"We can't have you spilling the beans," Avian agreed. Out of nowhere, he shuffled a deck of cards, pulled out five, and pocketed the rest.

Unlike the other victims of the poison twins, Platina didn't show any effects of being poisoned. Instead, she yanked the darts out of her arm, standing proudly.

"Wait, how did—"

"But seriously, you couldn't have chosen a better name than _Platina Gaci_?"

"Huh?"

"Gaci Platina, Platina Gaci," Avian mused, fiddling with his cards. "Platin Gacia—_Glacia Patin_."

Members of the audience gasped, even Kagura lost her grip.

"Then," Sasori began, "that would mean—"

"Sasori," Avian said, brandishing his cards, "let me show why your poison was ineffective against this girl!"

He threw his cards at Platina, but his attack had a double effect. Not only were the cards sharpened to a razor's edge, they created air blades that actually sliced.

"Platina!" Avia cried.

Platina's sunglasses fell to the ground, split cleanly down the bridge. Small strands of ink black hair floated around. A large slash adorned her abdomen, accompanied by a deep gash on her right arm and one on her thigh.

But Platina wasn't bleeding.

"Platina?" Millianna asked.

"You can't bleed, can you?" Avian taunted, pulling out more cards. "That sad mockery of a body doesn't bleed—it can't even _cry_. The only thing that allows your pathetic body to move is the will of those hateful emotions."

"Avian..." Platina growled, brandishing her sickles.

"Platina..." Kagura breathed.

"Remember," he prompted, tossing another card. For some reason, Platina couldn't move out of the way as the card sliced her cheek. "Who was it that put life into your pitiful form? Who was it—" This time, her jugular was cut open.

"No, stop it!" Beth cried at Avian, but to no avail.

"—that allowed you to exist like this? And who is it—"

This time, Avian swung his arm back. The air mimicked his motions, throwing Platina back against the wall. "—that can easily turn you back into what you were before you were ever needed?" he finished. "You're no better than Glacia. You're just as pitiful as _you_ said she was."

"Platina!"

"Seriously, Miss Mikazuchi, next time, focus on your enemies, not your comrades!" Sasori released a purple gas cloud that enveloped Kagura.

"Kagura-chan!" Millianna screamed.

The swordswoman tried her best not to breath in the toxic fumes. But she choked on her own breath, taking in the gas as well.

"As they say—" Avian hurled the rest of his deck at the purple haze. The individual cards vanished into the cloud, each one coated with an antidote. "Sayonara!"

Within the cloud, Kagura felt hands shove her roughly out of the smog. The S-Class mage slid across the sand as clean air entered her lungs. She gasped, taking in what she couldn't before. Kagura looked back at the poison gas cloud, but began to wish she hadn't.

Platina hovered in midair, having taken the assault meant for Kagura. There was a giant, gaping hole in her stomach now, and others in her neck and arm. Her eyes were wide in something Kagura thought would never cross the silver witch's face—_fear_.

Platina hit the adjacent wall, her body motionless across the sand.

"Kagura-san...sorry..." Those were Platina's last words before her head rolled to the side. Her eyes were still open, but they didn't move. Like she was—

"PLATINA!"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

**Unusual Secrets**

* * *

"PLATINA!"

Her body was sprawled across the sand, motionless. Blue eyes were open, the ghost of fear trapped in the silver witch's face.

"Platina!" Team Mermaid Heel screamed from up.

"Platina is down! But—" Chapati couldn't continue.

"The silver babe's actually down..." Laxus trailed.

"No way! I was supposed to beat her!" Gajeel roared.

Kagura rushed to her comrade's side, shaking her. "Platina!"

Mock applause from Avian drew Kagura's attention. The Imperial Guardian of the East shuffled a deck of cards between his hands before he withdrew one card: Death. "Well?" Avian smirked at the sight of Kagura's glower. "What's with that look? I just did you a favor. Don't deny it, Miss Mikazuchi. You would lose your temper with Platina because she had the guts to speak her mind."

"You dare to call yourself a mage?" Kagura snarled. "You killed her!"

Avian tilted his head back. "Did I?"

"..." To nearly everyone's surprise, Platina's chest began to rise and fall. Her breaths were slow, but somehow shallow. It was amazing how she was able to breath with the hole in her neck and torso.

"She's alive!" Beth sighed in relief.

"A body that can't cry—can't bleed, even—it's no wonder why she's like this." Avian smiled smugly. "Platina's not living—she's simply..._existing_."

Kagura stood, her anger unrestrained as she gripped her hilt. The swordswoman charged towards Avian. Sasori, however, rushed in between the two. A black scorpion rested on his right hand, which was drawn back. The scorpion pulled its tail back as Sasori's fist surged forward—

The large gong was struck, its baritone sound resounded through the arena. Kagura and Sasori skidded to a halt.

"T-time's up," Yajima whispered.

"Both teams are still alive and kicking...that means—Mermaid Heel and Imperial Snow are tied! Both teams will recieve five points!"

"But Platina...is she okay?" Yajima questioned. He wore a dark expression, a look aimed towards the Imperial Guardians.

Avia rushed out of her seat, hurrying down to where the rest of her guild's representatives gathered around Platina.

Strands of flesh began to cover over Platina's wounds, seamlessly mending the gashes and cuts.

"Platina..." Arania lifted the silver mage onto her back. "_What_ are you?"

* * *

Team Mermaid Heel immediately ran towards the infirmary. Even though Platina's wounds fixed themselves—and they were almost done—they still wanted her checked out for various reasons.

_Why couldn't she bleed?_

_How were her wounds able to support themselves?_

Beth turned the doorknob, only to fall forward as the door was pulled open on the other side.

"Sorry..." Sherry wiped her eyes hurriedly. She noticed Platina on Arania's back. "What's wrong with her?"

"To be blunt—we don't know," Millianna said. "What about you?"

Sherry sniffed. "It's Ren, my fiancé. They said his eyes are damaged...what if he can't see anymore? What if he stops loving me?" And the Doll Play mage burst into another round of tears.

"I told you, your fiancé will be fine! Now quit bawling!" Porlyusica came into view. "Humans..."

"Um..." Millianna didn't know what to say. She heard about Porlyusica from Erza, how she hated humans despite being one herself. But the old lady was supposed to be an expert on magical afflictions.

As Sherry tearfully walked away, Porlyusica huffed. "The 'certified' doctors said there was nothing they could do for him. It's amazing how ignorant you humans can be."

"Um..."

Porlyusica turned her steely gaze on Team Mermaid Heel. "Don't you have an injured with you?"

"Okay?" Was this woman really alright with healing a person not from her guild?

Inside, Wendy rested on one bed with Charle curled up beside her. On another, Ren was on his back, bandages wrapped around his eyes.

And two became three as Platina was set down on one of the numerous beds inside.

"A person who doesn't bleed but can still breathe after taking fatal injuries." Porlyusica scrutinized Platina. This was the girl who wielded another person's meridian valve against them. The elder lady remembered warning Fairy Tail B about her, yet here she was, sliced open.

Porlyusica narrowed her eyes at the sight of Platina's self-mending wounds. She couldn't help but notice the peculiar way the strands of flesh behaved. A set of flesh strings would connect over the gash, from one side to the other. Then more would line up perpendicular to the first set. They darted under and threaded over, weaving new flesh to replace the old.

"Out."

"Huh?"

Porlyusica glanced at Team Mermaid Heel. "I can't work if you humans keep breathing down my neck."

"But Platina's—"

"Out, now!" And Team Mermaid Heel was driven out by an old lady brandishing a broomstick.

"Eesh, what a grouch," Arania muttered under her breath.

As soon as the door swung shut, Porlyusica turned her attention back to Platina. "Platina Gaci..." she murmured as Platina's last wound was fixed.

"I think it's time to show your guild what you really are."

* * *

Jura stood deep in thought, tuning in and out of his guild's battle against Fairy Tail A.

"Jura-san, what's wrong?" Yuka asked. "Don't worry, he probably—"

"It's not Dobengal I'm worried about. It's that woman from Mermaid Heel," Jura said abruptly.

"Platina? Why her?"

"It's _what_ she is that disturbs me the most."

"How?"

Jura met the Surge's eyes. "'Platin Gacia—Glacia Patin,'" he repeated Avian's words.

Yuka glanced at the stands where Mermaid Heel would usually be. "You don't think Platina was Glacia, do you?"

"Yes, I had that thought at first, too." Jura folded his arms. "Her name is an anagram of the one who has passed; but not even that can prove my theory."

"Why not?"

Jura opened his eyes. "One: Platina is older than what Glacia appeared to be."

"But it could've been her using an age potion."

"Yes, I had thought that...but how would she have known Glacia from childhood?"

"Is there a third reason?" Yuka tried.

The battle was over, Gray and Wendy won. "No...but her physical health is what interests me. How can a person live without blood in their veins?"

Yuka held his chin. "Come to think of it, that Imperial Guardian said something about that. 'That sad mockery of a body'—"

"He said she wasn't living, but existing," Jura finished.

Yuka frowned. "The way he spoke...like she was an object, not a person."

* * *

Jigumo five-starred Sasori on the back when the West and the East Imperial Guardians returned to theie balcony. "Nice one, guys."

"Are you sure we'll be allowed to stay in the games after this?" Mizuno asked hesitantly.

Sasori cocked his head. "It's not like Platina's dead. After all, she never lived to begin with."

"But if the authorities find out—"

"They'd come up shorthanded on evidence," Avian said. "There isn't enough to put on us."

Avian turned his attention on Niebel, who met his gaze. "Yes?"

"...Avian...what's going on in the basement—"

"Don't worry, Niebel." Jigumo leaned forward, ruffling the young boy's hair. "We're all men of our word—aren't we, guys?"

"But—"

"We're just performing a little extraction. After it's over, you get to see her whenever you want," Sasori added, smiling.

Niebel relaxed a bit. "But...something feels wrong—"

"Trust us, Nieb." Jigumo lightly pounded Niebel's head. "Would we ever lie to you?"

Thinking it over, Niebel shook his head.

"There you go. You see? Just trust big bro, he knows best—"

"It's gone," Avian said abruptly.

"Excuse me?" Mizuno looked away from his mirror.

Sasori shook his head. "You probably dropped it somewhere."

"We can't let them find it."

"I'll get it, big sissy," Sasori muttered under his breath as he headed out.

"That reminds me, why the hell _would_ you bring that here?" Jigumo questioned.

"I forgot I had it in my pocket, okay!" Avian defended, hands up.

* * *

Sherry had half a mind to return to Ren's side, but that old Fairy lady—in her words—would likely chase her out for "being a smelly human".

"Isn't she human, too?" Sherry grumbled, her foot hitting against something—wait, what?

The Doll Play mage looked down at her feet to find a small, hardback spiral journal beside her right foot. "What's this?" she wondered, bending down to pick it up. "Someone's journal?"

A sudden thought passed Sherry's mind, a half evil glint in her eye._ If it's someone in the game's, _she thought darkly,_ I could use this as blackmail! Maybe it's Lucy's!_

A mental evil laugh, and Sherry opened it to the first page. She was met by neat handwriting deeply carved into paper, as if the person who wrote it felt nothing but rage at the time.

_X774, May 9_

_I hate them._

_My parents are planning to sell me in Bosco for their dumb gambling. At least, they were._

_I ran away. I'm free!_

_Before I left, I took every bit of money left in the house. And everything with value. Silverware, fine china, food—what, you expect to run away on an empty stomach?_

_I even found this cool scale in my mom's jewelry box. It's really pretty. Like a thin diamond._

Sherry suddenly felt bad for reading this person's journal. Her family died by Deliora's hand, but this person was about to be sold by their own parents! She skimmed ahead.

_X778, April 9_

_I finally found out what the scale was. At least, Glacia told me._

_My parents had a real dragon scale in their house._

_Now that I think about it, Jigumo and Sasori's hometown was destroyed by a dragon..._

* * *

Porlyusica stepped outside, shutting the door behind her while she was at it.

"Um..." Millianna hesitated for a moment. "Is Platina okay?"

The old lady sighed. "She patched up perfectly on her own. There was nothing else I could do."

"You mean you gave up?" she cried.

"You misunderstood me, cat." Porlyusica's expression turned more serious. "That girl's not even remotely human."

Vóreia flew forward. "I know Platina acts heartless sometimes, but she still cares—"

"That's not what I meant." Porlyusica folded her arms into her long sleeves. "Neither the stench of a human...nor the scent of a dragon. No blood flows...nor does she have a heart that would do so. The only thing that allowed her body to function like a human's were the strength of those dark emotions accumulated over time, and the will of the mage that allowed her to live."

Beth frowned. "What do you mean?"

"'Why is it always me? It's always my fault. If only that person never existed.' Those kinds of feelings." Porlyusica withdrew her right arm from her sleeve. "I think it's time for you to see your guild member."

Porlyusica's right hand came out, holding Platina in her palm. The silver witch just sat there, immobile.

Platina was—surprisingly—small. She was nine inches tall, and Beth remembered wanting to be as tall as her. The silver mage retained the blue eyes, but they were glacier blue now.

Her entire appearance changed.

Platina's hair was still combed over her left eye, but her hair was white now. Two pink spots dotted her cheeks as she smiled back at her team. Her outfit now consisted of a short-sleeved, navy sailor shirt with a white skirt and baby-sized ballet flats.

Vóreia's eyes widened in realization at Avian's words. "Platina..."

_"'You were a pretty little doll child, tiny and petite with cute rosy cheeks. You used to play with Glacia everyday, and in the blink of an eye, the two of you were inseparable. Every time she came to the guild, you were always with her.'"_

Team Mermaid Heel gasped. "Platina..."

_"'Platina's not living—she's simply...existing.'"_

Kagura could have sworn that she heard two different laughters coming from her.

One was Platina's sneering laughter that still rang through her mind.

The other was Glacia's joyful giggling that seemed so distant now.

Porlyusica finished what Team Mermaid Heel couldn't say. "She's a doll," she said.

Platina the doll smiled at her team mates, her mouth permanently fixed into that position.


	17. Piercing Eyes

Chapter 17

**Piercing Eyes**

* * *

Porlyusica handed the doll off to Vóreia, who held it with delicate care while the old lady went back in.

Arania had been convinced that Platina was Glacia. In reality, Platina was a doll version of her.

"Platina..." Vóreia hugged the doll close to her, forgetting that her guild mates were still there. A small sob racked the Exceed's body. "I can't believe it...I can't believe I threw you away last year. But you came back..."

_~Flashback~_

_Through eyes blurred by tears, Vóreia stuffed everything that she owned into her bag. She had considered packing Glacia's belongings too, but what was the point of packing for a dead person?_

_Even with that logic, Vóreia couldn't bring herself to ditch certain items. Not the broken, blue-tinted sunglasses that Rogue had given to Lector, who in turn gave it to her. Not Glacia's cloak, made for her by the Ice Dragon herself. Not even the doll made for her by—_

_Vóreia narrowed her eyes at the doll. Even its appearance seemed to mock her. The doll was a miniature version of Glacia, made by the man who murdered her._

_Fury overruled rational thinking. The twin-tailed Exceed grabbed the doll, her paws clenched around it as she flew towards the window. Vóreia opened the window and flung it outside._

_Sobs took over her body as she fell on the bed, crying her eyes out._

_Outside, the doll lied in a large puddle, helpless. It couldn't move. The only thing it could do was endure the relentless rain._

_Unbeknownst to Vóreia, a small masked figure picked up the doll. Reaching into their pocket, they used their handkerchief to dry off most of the object._

_The masked person glared at the window from where the doll was thrown._

* * *

Sherry shook in horrified awe at the current entry.

**_X779, November 8_**

_Master approved. Using the dragon scale, we're going to create the greatest weapon the world has ever seen. A weapon against the black dragon._

_Nearly everyone in the guild is devoted to this experiment. We're all young, but as long as the older members are watching over, we'll be all right. We're using the lab under the guild._

_Glacia and Vóreia are the only ones that don't know. I intend to keep it that way._

_Well, wish me luck. From here on, this is my life's work:_

_Project TI-26A8_

_A weapon against Acnologia_, Sherry thought, her hands shaking. _But did they succeed?_ Her fingers fumbled for a moment, and she ended up skipping ahead five years.

**_X784, December 22_**

_Nearly everyone involved in the labs wanted to terminate the experiment. They said I was crazy, but who's the real crazy one: me or the guys who approved of my plan?_

_Project TI-26A8 now resembles a little winged snake. A very tiny one. You need a microscope to see her. But she still contains unimaginable power. Proof: Even while she was in her test tube home, she made the entire lab blow up. It looks like she proved their point._

_Today is the last day that Project TI-26A8 will live. Tomorrow, she'll cease to exist._

_Wait...Glacia...There's still a chance! I just have to act fast!_

Sherry flipped to the next page, as the entry for that date continued.

_She agreed. I can't believe how eager to please she is!_

_Project TI-26A8 is happy, too. At least, I think that was a smile when I transferred her to the syringe. She's living inside a Dragon Slayer now._

_I know I'll face excommunication for this. I might even face death for doing this to Glacia. That's why I altered her memories. No one can know about what I've done._

Sherry looked up from the journal, closing it quietly. Whoever wrote this...how could they have done this? Wasn't it enough to trick a child into hosting an engineered weapon?

_Wait..._The Doll Play mage stopped in her tracks. _A Dragon Slayer for a host...and whatever the weapon was..._

Sherry gasped in realization. "No way...it couldn't be..."

A small cough behind her told Sherry that she wasn't alone. She spun around, gulping when she saw Sasori with a sad look.

"How much did you read?" he asked.

Sherry backed away slowly, holding the journal out to him. "I-I didn't read all of it—"

All oxygen left her body as she fainted. The journal fell, but Sherry's unconscious body was caught by the gladiator of Imperial Snow. A scorpion scuttled back onto Sasori's shoulder.

"But you read some of it," Sasori finished for the poisoned female. "Now that you know, we can't let you roam free either."

* * *

_Small hands pushed away rubble and debris, their owner hellbent on finding whatever was underneath. A rock was lifted, and a slender hand was unearthed. More rocks were tossed aside. Finally, a dead girl's body was discovered._

"Niebel? Hey, Nieb, wake up."

Rubbing his eyes, Niebel couldn't help but yawn as today's final scores appeared on the Lacrima Vision.

Sabertooth **66P**  
Mermaid Heel **61P**  
Imperial Snow **42P**  
Fairy Tail A** 42P**  
Lamia Scale **41P**  
Fairy Tail B **26P**  
Blue Pegasus **17P**  
Quatro Cerberus** 1P**

So what happened?

Somehow, Fairy Tail B's Mirajane and Freed had been put against Blue Pegasus' Jenny and Hibiki. Freed had gotten faster at writing runes and trapped the couple in a barrier. Together with the Demon, he defeated Hibiki while Mirajane went for Jenny.

And then there was the so-called 'main' event.

Putting Quatro Cerberus against Sabertooth was like getting a puppy to wound a tiger. In this case, literally.

Quatro Cerberus was slaughtered. They didn't last a single minute against Sabertooth without Orga frying them to bits. Rufus didn't have to lift a single finger.

"Moving on, tomorrow's final game will involve all five participants of each team! Rest well, eat well, and fight well! Good night!"

* * *

The Twin Dragons of Sabertooth walked back to the Luxembourg, accompanied by their Exceed companions.

From the opposite direction, Avian was accompanied by Niebel. The Imperial Guardian of the East had a small triumphant visage whereas Niebel was contemplative.

Right when the Imperial Guardians and the Twin Dragons passed each other, Niebel asked, "That thing you call your darkness...where is it?"

Sting looked back at Niebel. "Come again?"

"Niebel," Avian warned.

Rogue stopped in his tracks. It sounded like he said it out of the blue—but somehow he knew Niebel directed it towards him. He turned his head slightly. "Can you clarify yourself?"

Niebel pivoted on one heel to face Rogue. "I don't get it. Sissy said everyone has darkness. As long as there's good, there's always bad. But from you...there is no darkness."

Sting laughed. "Kid, you must be blind. Rogue doesn't _have_ darkness—he_ is_ darkness."

But Niebel shook his head. "So being the White Dragon Slayer, would I be right if I said you were good? Were you good when you hurt Sissy's guild yesterday?"

That shut Sting up, but Lector protested, "He was getting revenge for our guild's pride! That's Sting-kun's justice!"

"No—that's a lie, isn't it?" Niebel turned away from the Twin Dragons. "Right now...that thing you call darkness—" The boy faced Rogue again, his resemblance to his older sister more defined than ever. "—are just pent up emotions ready to burst."

"Niebel!" Avian scolded.

The Ice Dragon Slayer ignored his superior and walked off, ignoring his comrade's call and the Twin Dragons' frustration.

Avian sighed. "I'm very sorry about Niebel's behavior. He was just so attached to Glacia, so—"

"Let me guess, a sister complex?" Sting smirked.

Avian glared at Sting. "Indeed." He sighed. "But...sometimes...we just have to cut the boy some slack. After all, the only person who relate to his horrible past—that would be Glacia."

Rogue relaxed a bit, not knowing that he had prepared to attack during Niebel's preaching.

Avian bowed. "Excuse me." He strolled past Rogue, doing so, he uttered several words that only Shadow Dragon Slayer could hear. "However..." The Imperial Guardian of the East smirked. "I apologized for Niebel—but I can't seem to do the same for myself. Rogue Cheney—you're such a sap. You act like Princess Glacia's death affected you alone—but all I see is a young man who still throws tantrums. Niebel—you should really see him. Once, he used to be a happy-go-lucky child. But you should see what he can do in battle now—I believe you've already witnessed the match between him and the Sky Dragon of Fairy Tail."

A freezing, yet singed image of Wendy forced its way into Rogue's mind.

"I think you can already tell that that wasn't even his full strength. No—he wants only the people who draw his anger to feel his true power, all for the sake of Imperial Snow's princess," Avian concluded. "Princess Glacia's will is Niebel's strength. That's why he's the Ice Dragon Slayer. To Niebel, an outsider like you has no right to come between that."

Avian marched off, feeling Rogue's pent up anger towards him. But he knew he was right; and if Rogue lashed out at him, he'd only prove his point.

"What was that about?" Sting inquired. Even with his enhanced hearing, he couldn't hear Avian's words.

Turning away from the direction where the Imperial Guardians left, Rogue walked past his team mates. "Just his death wish. Let's go."

Sting stared after his best friend. It couldn't have just been the other guy's death wish—not with the look on Rogue's face.

"You boy!" The Twin Dragons spun around once again. A gypsy woman holding a crystal ball stood beside a small tent. At least, she looked like a gypsy in Sting's eyes: very worn sandals, a myriad of necklaces around her neck, a ragged cloak over a dress, and a veil covering half her face. The gypsy must have been young, judging by the curves her dress was showing off. A hood covered her hair. "Would you like to have your fortune told?" she drawled.

Silence.

"No, we were just heading back," Rogue said calmly, but with a touch of impatience.

"Are you sure?" The gypsy held up a Jewel. "I believe you forgot this."

Eyes widening, Sting reached into his pocket, swearing as his hands found nothing but cloth. "Lady, I don't know who you are, but give me back my money before I—"

"A girl!" The duo froze, so did their Exceed. The fortune teller held her crystal ball out to them. "A girl—with beauty like that of the princess. No, she was beautiful—for she was a princess."

Sting scoffed. "You just overheard us, old hag. Tell us something we don't know."

The veil covered the fortune teller's eyes, so they were able to see her grin. "Blue eyes—glacier, weren't they?—that pierced deeper than what any sword could. Pity it was a sword arm that pierced her heart."

Now that caught their attention. Only a handful of mages knew the exact details of Glacia's death—the rest only knew that Dobengal had killed her.

The crystal ball cleared. Within it, a white haired girl smiled back at them, waving. "Trapped between light and darkness—she wasn't allowed to move on—"

"Fine."

Sting glanced at Rogue in surprise. "Excuse me?"

The Shadow Dragon Slayer ignored his partner, stepping forward until he was just a few feet away from the gypsy. "You already took the Jewels, and you obviously have no intention of returning them," Rogue said.

"Hey!" Sting yelled.

"And I'm not one to attack a woman," he continued. "Fine, I'll play along."

The fortune teller grinned. She led Rogue towards her tent, and the two disappeared behind the curtains.

"Will Rogue be okay?" Frosch asked.

"I dunno." Lector scratched his head. "I just hope he knows what he's doing." The red Exceed looked at Sting, who had a strange expression on his face. "Sting-kun, what's wrong?"

"...Was he sure that gypsy wasn't—you know—one of _those_?" Sting emphasized the last bit.

"One of what?" Lector asked.

"I just thought—a woman and Rogue, plus the tent—"

If Lector could blush, he would be dark red. "Sting-kun, that's gross!"

* * *

As soon as Rogue went in, it was sensory overload for his nose. He could smell a multitude of fragrant herbs—and the incense that was just lit wasn't helping either.

"Come, sit." The fortune teller gestured to a plain chair opposite of an ornate one across the table. Rogue sat down while the gypsy woman grabbed a drawstring bag and a deck of cards. After much consideration, she also placed a large circular disc on the table.

The gypsy shoved the deck into Rogue's hands. "Cut, please."

After hesitantly cutting the cards and returning them, the woman spread the cards out in a straight line. "Pick three, any three. And put them anywhere on this disc."

Rogue's hand stopped just above the cards. Before, he was certain. Now, he had his doubts.

The gypsy huffed. "Boy, we can sit here all night and I'll charge by the hour, or you can hurry up and I'll settle for the money I stole!"

Glaring at her, Rogue plucked three cards from the deck, placing them together, side by side.

The cards flipped over individually. The first showed a person in a purple cape, a chestplate, sandals, and an ancient war helmet. "The Gladiator," the gypsy said. As she said this, Rogue's thoughts immediately went to Sasori of Imperial Snow.

The second one revealed a person in dark clothes and a mask wielding throwing stars. "The Ninja." He didn't need to dig deeper to know what this one represented.

The final card was one of an armored person on a horse, a sword at his side. "And the Knight. You placed them all under Mars, the planet of war," she continued.

"And?"

The gypsy ignored Rogue's inquiry, taking the bag beside her and opening it slightly. "Just take one."

_One what?_ he thought as he reached his hand into the bag. His fingers closed around something with feathers. Whatever it was, it started burning up. Rogue pulled his hand out, and a tiny firebird flew free.

"The phoenix," the gypsy stated. "The symbol of return."

"Return what?" he inquired.

The gypsy smiled. The phoenix settled down on a section of the circular board marked by a symbol associated with women.

"Venus—the planet of love."

* * *

Jigumo opened the basement door for Niebel, who scrunched up his face in disgust at the spider thread everywhere. But once he found what he was looking for, the boy stepped over threads to his objective.

The smaller cocoon had grown to the size of an infant, and it was glowing blue.

The larger of the cocoons on the spiderweb had constricted entirely around whatever was inside. Niebel touched one of the threads attached to that cocoon. "Is it almost done?"

Right then, the thread he touched lost its opaqueness. It turned clearer, more transparent.

"Almost," Jigumo agreed, placing a hand on his spiderweb. "Just a bit longer, we're almost done removing it."

As he said this, a tiny spider scuttled out of his pocket, an object with a cord attached to its back. Moving quickly, the spider rushed for the door, meeting a sandaled foot outside. A hand reached for the cord, fiddling with it as the owner brought it close to their mouth. Attached to the cord was an ivory whistle with carvings to make it look like a scorpion without its pinchers.

Sasori smiled apologetically, though he knew no one could see or hear him. "Sorry, Niebel. That's not the only thing we removed."

* * *

**I do not own Fairy Tail or the fine works of Hiro Mashima. Nor do I know anything about fortune telling!**

**And now, an author's note: **

Like I said, I'm still unsure of myself. I want to rewrite Tiamat so it's a bit more serious, but then there are the people who don't want it rewritten. I'm not deleting the original story, I need it as my guide. So to those of you who don't want Tiamat rewritten, you don't have to read the revised version, the original will still be there.

So I set up a poll on my profile: Should I or should I not rewrite Tiamat? There are only two choices: yes or no.

Remember, not voting is NOT an answer, so don't be shy! You should be proud! Your votes will affect my decision!

Hurry up and vote, people!


	18. Pinocchio

**Special thanks for this chapter goes to my beta The Dark Crimson Blood. Also, if you haven't voted yet, do it soon. I'm closing the poll on Monday, the tenth.**

Chapter 18

**Pinocchio**

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Sasori rapped sharply on Mizuno's door.

"Just a minute!"

Sasori sighed. "Mizuno, I don't care if you're in front of a mirror, just get out here!"

The door swung open, revealing the Imperial Guardian of the East, who was currently drying his hair with a towel. Mizuno raised a questioning eyebrow, only to wince in pain. He rubbed his nose tenderly; unfortunately, it wasn't completely healed yet. "Well, Sasori, what do you want?" he grumbled.

The scorpion specialist scratched his head sheepishly, smiling as though holding back a laugh. It was as if the very thought of what he was about to say amused him. "Mizuno...what would you say if I told you I could help you get revenge for your nose?"

Mizuno froze; his hand went to his nose immediately. His eyes scrutinized his fellow Imperial Guardian. "I'd say—you want me to do something for you, don't you?"

"You know me too well."

Mizuno sighed, shouldering his towel. "All right, what do you need?"

Sasori grinned as he ticked off his terms on his fingers. "I want your magic, one glass coffin, and I need you to keep Niebel out of the basement and the games tomorrow."

"Straight to the point, aren't you? But a glass coffin? Who's funeral is it?"

"Not exactly a funeral." Sasori leaned back on his gladiator sandals. "I can fix your nose tonight. All I need in return is your cooperation."

"For?" the mirror mage questioned.

"Oh, I don't know..." The Imperial Guardian of the West flaunted the ivory scorpion-like whistle around his neck. "_Maybe_ I wanna torture a certain Shadow Dragon Slayer to death like you _almost_ did on the first day..."

With a feral grin, Mizuno held his hand out for Sasori to shake. "Pleasure to do business with you."

"All mine." Sasori turned to leave when something caught his eye. "Mizuno?"

"Hm?"

"Are you sure that hair dye was diluted?"

"Pretty sure, why?"

"Well..." Sasori pulled the towel away from Mizuno's shoulder. Turquoise strands fluttered to earth, though a number of said strands remained on the cloth.

Outside, several crows and ravens flew off as a scream made itself known to the night.

* * *

So the board looked like this.

The Gladiator, the Ninja, and the Knight were on the space indicating Mars. The phoenix rested happily on the Venus section. Two more cards—Death and a Temperance in reverse—rested on Pluto. "Well, well, this is tricky," she murmured.

Rogue held back an impatient sigh.

The gypsy pointed to the gladiator. "The hero of ancient times seeks conquest and devastation. But the Ninja fights him in the shadows. However, the Knight triumphs with valor. Hence why he always gets the girl," she added, grinning.

"But the phoenix—Love controls the heart of the star of rebirth."

"Yo, Rogue!" Sting poked his head in, only to pull back out from the smell. "We need to get going!"

Sighing—glad to get out of the tent—Rogue stood from his chair.

"Wait!" The gypsy cried. "The girl is precious to you, is she not?"

Rogue narrowed his eyes. "Your point?"

"I see." The fortune teller lowered her veiled face. "Tomorrow, something treasured will be taken...right before your very eyes."

Eyes narrowing in frustration, he replied, "You must be mistaken. She's dead."

"Are you sure?"

Taking only a moment to look back, Rogue stormed out of the tent. The gypsy frowned as she glanced at her table. "However," she murmured. "There is a possibility that I may have misinterpreted this. Yes, the Gladiator is devastation; the Ninja represents hidden secrets; and the Knight is the symbol of valor and justice. But if I were to do this..."

The fortune teller placed a golden orb in the center of the disc. Nine circles scattered themselves on the plate. But only three were aligned together, despite their distances. "So there _was_ a second meaning for those three."

* * *

Lamia Scale's lodgings,** 9:45 PM**

Chelia hugged her pillow tightly as she watched the clock. "It's getting late, Lyon."

"I'm sure Sherry went out to look for the guy, so don't worry," Yuka said, though his eyebrows knitted together in doubt.

"But—"

"Sherry can handle herself," Jura reassured. "But what worries me...is their delay in returning."

"Do you think something happened, Jura-san? After all, it's not like either of them to stay out late," Lyon suggested.

Before they could add anything else, the door slammed open. Team Lamia Scale jumped as Ooba Babasama waltzed into the room. "Nonsense, I'm sure those two are fine, wherever they are. Why, Dobengal must be spying on Sabertooth to help us tomorrow and Sherry's with her no-good fiancé," she berated.

"But Obaba—"

"No buts or I'll spin you for the rest of the night!" Yuka shut his mouth while the guildmaster of Lamia Scale went on. "However—" Ooba's rambling took a serious turn. Her face wrinkled with dread. "If those two don't turn up in the morning..._then_ we have a problem."

"Yeah we—"

"After all, who else knows all about Sabertooth's weaknesses?" Ooba said.

Lyon and Yuka fell on their faces, dumbfounded by their guild master.

* * *

Blue Pegasus' lodgings

A certain Archive mage typed restlessly, his screens offering different information at a time. Beside his right hand, a missing poster of a young woman from Minstrel sat on the bedside table.

"Hibiki, you should get some rest," Jenny persuaded, her arms wrapped around his waist.

"It doesn't make sense," Hibiki mumbled as several pictures of missing people appeared all over his screens. "These are all the people who have gone AWOL within the span of last year. All of them are completely unrelated to each other; they're of diverse age groups; and if you group some of them together, only a handful come from the same country."

"I doubt there's any from Bosco," Eve yawned, rubbing his eyes.

Hibiki's eyes lit up. "Bosco...that's it!" His fingers typed faster as he input Bosco. "Bosco specializes in illegal slave trading, so almost anyone who's gone MIA would be sold there. But..." He stopped searching for a minute. "Among the kidnapped...there are ten from Bosco. So why would they kidnap their own countrymen?"

Even Eve couldn't find an answer to that. Yes, that was indeed strange. What good did it serve to haul a country's own citizens?

_Haul_...haul...that's it! As if a fire was lit in his mind, Eve jumped from his bed, placing himself beside the nightstand. "Transport," he realized.

"What?"

"Don't you get it, Hibiki? With that many people, how would they have gotten past the borders?"

* * *

Crocus Gardens, 10:17 PM

Sasori found himself in front of the padlocked door, holding the seven keys to the locks.

The keyring floated from his hand, the individual keys detaching themselves as they fit into their respective locks. The padlocks disappeared, and the door swung open.

Sasori stepped inside, taking in the fresh smell of jasmine and mint that poorly hid the stench of blood and tears.

He shook his head as he glanced at the neatly made bed. "Sorry, Nieb. But life can't spoil you forever."

"On the other hand—" The scorpion master chuckled darkly. "We finally have the meddler out of the way, along with a friend of his. Little boy Pinocchio and the Blue Fairy—or is that the Red Lamia? Ah, whatever."

* * *

"You're right!" Different listings for cargo appeared on the Archivist's screen. "Just a week after all of these people were abducted, a transport with cargo that exceeded three hundred kilograms would appear. And each time, they were overlooked because they were grouped with weapons and equipment."

"Every shipment has a unique code. Most times, it's the importers' name encrypted," Hibiki finished. "But—" Multiple shipment codes lined up vertically. "No matter how unique these codes are, five characters always appear in the same sequence, always at the end."

Hibiki typed in a command. Five characters in each code glowed red, and the excess characters drifted off, lost in the sea of data.

"7A84N?" Jenny read.

"If I can decode it, maybe we can find the mastermind behind the operation," the Archive muttered. "Begin decoding."

At once, his monitors went to work. Strings of numbers and letters appeared while Hibiki took a break.

"It could just be a coincidence," Eve pointed out.

"True...but Lamia Scale's discovery last night wasn't so much of a coincidence, was it?" Jenny defended.

"Yes...it's been almost a year since those three went missing. But eleven months later, they show up in Crocus, dead." Hibiki ran a hand through his hair. "A murderer would want to hide all evidence of his actions. But why would someone carelessly leave behind the evidence for the world to see?"

His monitors glowed green. "Decoded," one read.

All three of them gasped.

* * *

Vóreia stared out her window, holding Platina, the doll, close to her. _The stars are really pretty tonight_, she thought.

_"'Hey, Vóreia?" Glacia leaned away from the window. "If you had to be a star, which one would you be?'"_

_"'Easy. I'd be the North Star, Polaris,'" Vóreia replied._

_Glacia pouted. "Really? I'd be Ankaa, the Phoenix." She spun on her heel, smiling. "'Cause even if I die, my heart's still beating, right? And I'll be born again, see?'"_

A tear slid down her cheek at the memory. "Glacia..."

* * *

"...um...ugh..." Sherry opened her eyes, her thought process running slower than what it should have. The only thing she could see was darkness—until she saw a bit of silk thread on the ground; which was when she realized she was covered in it... "Gross!"

"Oh, you woke up?"

Sherry could have jumped if she weren't anchored by spider thread. She couldn't tell where it came from, but she was glad to find one familiar voice.

There was movement, and Sherry could see tan hair shaking. "Dobengal, where are we?"

"If I had to guess—then, a basement. Where else would Jigumo keep his spider nest?" his voice replied.

"Ha ha," Sherry snorted. "How did you get here?"

"Jigumo threw me in here. You?"

Sherry screwed up her face in confusion. She relaxed as she recalled what happened. "The gladiator—Sasori, right?—he got me."

Her only response was a hiss, to which she countered, "Hey, you try being stung by a scorpion—"

"No, I cut my hand with my knife."

Sherry sighed in relief. At least he was working on a way to escape. The only thing the Doll Play mage could do was squint to see. So far, there was a giant spiderweb with two cocoons—wait, _what_?

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

Sherry meant to say, "What do you think are in those cocoons?" But it came out as, "Project TI-26A8."

"Ow!" Sherry winced as she imagined Dobengal's pain. But inside, she knew she hit more than his skin. "So_ that's_ how you got in here. But that info is classified to only the guild master and the Imperial Guardians. So how did you—"

"I read someone's journal, okay!" Sherry confessed. "Hey, if it's that top secret, how come you reacted to its name?"

She was met by silence. The Doll Play mage thought he was giving her the silent treatment until he sighed. "The Code of Silence only works if an outsider doesn't know."

"The Code of Silence? You mean that spell that keeps someone from talking freely? But why would you know—"

"Because I was one of the handful of people directly involved," he responded. "Like I said, Project TI-26A8 is so classified, only the Imperial Guardians and the guildmaster are allowed to even know. Everyone else involved either had their memories deleted—or their speech restrained."

"I guess you got off easy, right?" Sherry tried to comfort.

A harsh laugh. "Are you kidding? After five years, I wish I had my memories altered. However, I wasn't among those who were traumatized."

"So...when you had the Code of Silence put on you—"

"To an outsider, I was told to do only one thing: lie." Another frustrated sigh. "And I was a natural at it."

Sherry's head shot up._ He's a natural at lying_, she thought, her eyes narrowed into slits. _But that story last year about that Ice Dragon girl never made sense!_ "One more thing. Project TI-26A8..."

* * *

Jigumo stood in front of an enormous Communication Lacrima, waiting for the person on the other end to respond. Out of boredom, he said, "Testing, one, two. Baron Fatnose, are you there?"

"_What_ did you call me?!" A nasally, sneering voice screamed.

The spider specialist grinned. "Good, you can hear me."

"I may have persuaded the king to allow your guild to enter Fiore, but learn your place. Remember that I am the king's royal advisor—"

"And remember that I am an assassin who couldn't care less if you were the king's grandma!" Jigumo retorted. "And, acting on the master's behalf, I can easily break the deal we have."

He was met by a pregnant pause on the other end before the king's advisor huffed angrily. "Fine," his voice snapped. "When will_ it_ be ready?"

"Oh, you might wanna come around—" Jigumo glanced at a clock. "Eleven-ish, tomorrow morning."

"Excellent."

Jigumo snorted, to which the person on the other end questioned, "Yes? A problem?"

"No, no. I mean—" The spider master leaned back on his heels. "That amount of power seems like a waste to be used for a simple coup d'état, Baron Hubert."


	19. Civil War

**So the results of the poll have been up for a while, but I'll reveal them right now in case you haven't seen it.**

**Yes, rewrite: 5**

**No, don't rewrite:5**

**It was a tie. If there are any complaints, ...PM-ing and that blue button at the bottom were invented for a reason.**

**Also, special thanks to The Dark Crimson Blood for beta-ing this chapter.**

Chapter 19

**Civil War**

* * *

**~Flashback~**

_A door was pushed open. Niebel peeked into the room, a wide grin remained on his face until he saw the person on the bed _

_The girl he called his older sister sat on the bed, her head was supported by both her hands as she held it and cried. Immediately, Niebel rushed to Glacia's side. "Sissy?" he asked, worried as he held a handkerchief in his hand. "Sissy, what's wrong?"_

* * *

"Oi, Niebel!"

The youngest Imperial Guardian turned around to see Jigumo running towards him. "Jigumo-san?"

The spider master scratched his black and crimson hair uncomfortably. "Nieb...How about you take a break tomorrow?"

Niebel's face fell in confusion. "Jigumo-san...what do you mean—?"

"We're not kicking you off the team," Jigumo corrected quickly. "We just thought—well, that maybe you'd want to stay here when the extraction is over and see her with your own eyes. Make sure she's all right, you know?"

The younger boy relaxed a bit. "But...I thought you guys wanted to win—"

"Nieb." Jigumo ruffled Niebel's hair and bent down to eye level. "Are you forgetting that we have three other Imperial Guardians and one _ex_-Imperial Guardian on the team?"

"We'll be okay, Nieb," he continued. "After all, just four of the top mages of Imperial Snow are enough to bring the other guilds to their knees."

"But—"

"Niebel...would_ we_ ever lie to _you_?"

* * *

So there were a few changes to Sasori's terms.

On one hand, Mizuno had supplied the glass coffin with the interior walls lined with dark silk to shield the occupant from view.

Just after Mizuno presented the glass coffin to Sasori did he realize one thing: If he used his magic now, then his strength would be depleted before he would be able to cast the first spell on the upcoming day.

After much bickering, which forced Avian back to consciousness since his room was right next to Mizuno's, the Imperial Guardian of the East stormed over to Mizuno's room; only to find two of his fellow Imperial Guardians debating over what to put in the coffin.

"Mizuno, man up and just do it," Sasori said.

"Can't it wait until morning?"

"Can your nose wait until morning?"

Avian sighed. "For crying out loud," he muttered, walking over to the coffin. "Let's just put a genuine article in here, shall we?"

"There," Avian yawned afterwards. "Are the children happy?"

Mizuno sweated. "...Why didn't we think of you earlier?"

Avian sighed tiredly. "Simple: You're narcissistic, and Sasori just happens to share Jigumo's genes."

"HEY!"

* * *

"Could it really be...?" Hibiki leaned back against the headboard. "Could she be behind all this? The abductions and the corpses...everything since last year?"

"All of those kidnappings...Even smuggling those people out," Eve said. "And it all took place under one codename."

"...Shouldn't we tell Mermaid Heel?" Jenny asked.

"No," Hibiki responded immediately. "Not now, not when it's getting late. But—" The Archivist ran a hand through his hand. "Even though they have a right to know...we can't be too sure just yet. After all, it's also the name of Iceberg's capital."

"Besides, their Glacia is dead."

* * *

"Is the little one taken care of?" Sasori asked.

"Yu-pez." Jigumo leaned against the wall opposite of his older twin. "I can't believe how easy it is to manipulate the little guy."

"You can thank the ninja you caught for that." Sasori spun the cord with the ivory whistle. "Glacia is Niebel's savior. Her will is what moves him. As long as everything goes accordingly, he's ours to command."

"And, what if it doesn't? You know she won't survive the extraction, no one can—"

"It was too much for her little body to handle, anyway," the scorpion master replied dismissively. "And if she doesn't survive...well, I think the situation will turn in our favor."

* * *

**8:45 AM**

"We just got a message," Risley said. "All of the guilds need to have a few reserve members for the game."

"A reserve squad...?" Beth asked as she finished braiding her hair. "Why's that?"

"Does it look like we know?" Arania snapped. "They just said have four reserve members, so there."

"Then..." Millianna poked her head out the door. Several women of Mermaid Heel filed out of their rooms to eat breakfast downstairs. "I don't know anyone else who's strong."

The cat woman stared at the doll that sat smiling at her from the bed stand. "Platina...you'd fit the bill. But like this, what can you do?"

* * *

Chelia fidgeted. "They're not back, Jura-san."

"..." The Wizard Saint could do nothing.

"This isn't good," Yuka muttered. "Obaba's going to spin them to death."

Lyon glanced around the dining hall. Indeed, the old woman was very grumpy, but the ice mage was more concerned with a substitute.

"Toby!"

"What do you want?!" The doggish wizard shouted across the room.

* * *

"What about it?"

"Why did you guys...try to end the project?"

"...You said you got in here because you read Avian's journal, right?"

"Wait...That was the clown's?" Sherry exclaimed. "I thought it was that scorpion guy's—"

"Sasori was part of the faction. But Avian was the mastermind. TI-26A8 was his childhood experiment—"

"To exterminate Acnologia, right?"

"...it took us five years to learn that was a mistake," Dobengal said. "One, it was unstable and two, the Council had gotten wind of what we were doing. If we wanted to get off with a simple slap on the wrist, we had to end the project. But what surprised me was the fact that Avian agreed with us. He even destroyed it himself."

"...quit lying," Sherry snapped. "I read the journal. I know Avian didn't end the experiment, he wrote it himself. He persuaded Glacia to—"

"He did what?"

It finally occurred to Sherry that her guild mate was indeed telling her the truth. "The clown guy's journal," she said slowly, "He wrote that he injected...whatever it is...into Glacia. And he altered her memories too."

Something clicked in her mind;it was obvious because the Doll Play mage began to shake in her bonds. "You guys did it...Didn't you? It's not a Dragon Slayer 'thing'; it was just her, wasn't it? You guys made_ her_..."

* * *

**10:00 AM**

No matter where one looked within the stadium, all that was visible were multiple banners, posters, or even confetti from above.

"Hello~! Welcome to the fifth and final day of the Grand Magic Games!" Chapati winked. "With your charming host, Chapati! Our commentator, Yajima-san—"

"Pleasure to be here," the elderly chef smiled.

"And today's guest judge, the master of Lamia Scale, Ooba Babasaaaama!"

"Hn!" Ooba twirled her fingers. "No offense, but the other guilds should just bow out while they still can. Lamia Scale will win this year!"

"And you say that when your guild is in fifth—"

A vein throbbed in Ooba's temple as she pointed her finger at Chapati. "Just spin you old coot!" she scolded while spinning the host.

"Anyways," Yajima cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Let's introduce the guilds once more, shall we?"

"I-indeed," Chapati mumbled dizzily as he fell in his seat. "In eighth place...Hades' hell hounds, Quatro Cerberus!"

Bacchus pumped a fist into the air. "Wild—"

"FOUR!" The rest of Team Quatro Cerberus roared.

"...eh..." That was the only sound made for the underdogs. Ever since the first day, it had occured to everyone that they were only wasting their Jewels by betting on Quatro Cerberus.

"In seventh place, the azure wings of the sky! Blue Pegasus!"

The Trimens—Ren's vision was slightly off, but he could still see—blew kisses with the exception of Ren, who insisted that he was only doing it for Sherry. Jenny posed sexily, earning a wave of whistles and cheers from the male population. Ichiya—poor Ichiya.

"Sixth place: Fairy Tail B!"

"Fifth place, Lamia Scale!" With Toby as their substitute, Team Lamia Scale entered proudly.

"Tied for third place, Fairy Tail A and Imperial Snow!"

Imperial Snow followed after Fairy Tail A. Next to Lamia Scale, Imperial Snow's lineup had changed the most. Jigumo and Niebel were gone, replaced by two hooded figures, one of whom sat on a litter like royalty.

Mizuno no longer had a gauze attached to his nose and it looked like it was restored to its former glory. In this case, it was.

"Second place, Mermaid Heel!"

The women of Mermaid Heel strutted in, with Platina replaced by Risley.

"Hey, sea chicks! Where's the silver girl?" Gajeel shouted.

Lisanna glanced at Porlyusica, who had treated Platina yesterday. "Porlyusica-san, didn't you help Mermaid Heel yesterday?"

"The only reason why I bothered was because the girl wasn't even human. What a relief," the old woman responded.

"But if she wasn't human, then what—"

"A doll," Porlyusica and Bixlow said together. The latter happened to overhear the conversation.

"Bixlow, how would you—" The Seith mage tapped his visor twice. "Oh right," Evergreen remembered.

"Kinda impressive, though," Bixlow admitted, scratching his chin. "Just by looking at her and the way she acted, you'd think she was a typical bad girl."

"Bad girl, bad girl~!" His dolls sang around him.

"Then again, Loke looked human and he's a huge playboy," he continued.

"Playboy~! Huge playboy~!"

"Hey, how come I can't turn my babies into humans?" Bixlow complained.

"Humans?" His dolls squeaked in an offended tone.

"And the number one guild that regained their throne in the games—SABERTOOTH!"

A smirk adorned Minerva's smug face as her eyes skimmed over Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel. "How wonderful, those little upstarts have deserted their guilds."

"Now that you mention it, miss, that Dragon Slayer and the spider master aren't here either," Rufus noticed. He frowned. "Are their members forced to hide their faces?"

"Everyone here, pumpkin?" Mato did a single once-over of the teams. "So a few new faces—even if two are unknown—but everyone is here, pumpkin! I hope you remembered to prepare your reserve team, because you might wanna tag out at some point!"

"HUH?" Before anyone else could ask, the teams were teleported away to their game field: A wide open terrain surrounded by mountains, littered with boulders, and filled with dead grass.

One question invaded the competitors' minds: "Where are we?"

"Sorry, pumpkin," Mato apologized. "We told the citizens that we'd repair the city with magic, but they don't wanna listen. All of you are now outside of Crocus, but once the game is over—or if you happen to fall during—you will be warped back to Domus Flau."

"All of you are scattered, but if you would, look behind yourselves, pumpkin."

Behind each team, what seemed to be a beacon with four different buttons stood proudly.

"How should I explain this, pumpkin? Oh, right! The name of this game...—Civil War!"

A thundering applause from Domus Flau managed to reach the battlefield.

"In a real war, you have reinforcements, right, pumpkin? Except here, your reinforcements are substitutes. And your team's beacon is what allows you to switch team members. But there are rules, pumpkin," Mato added darkly. "First, your team will elect a leader. Leaders are worth five points if you defeat them, the rest are one. Second, in order to use the beacon to switch, the person or people you're switching with must be part of your guild—"

"That's expected," Mirajane said.

"You_ cannot_ have been defeated. You're substituting, not calling for more people, pumpkin," Mato continued as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And when you use the beacon, please note that the same number of people must be exchanged on both sides. For example, if you wish to tag in three people, you must exchange three people. Up to four people can be substituted. And the people you wish to switch out must be at the beacon. After the beacon sends its signal, the number of people that are to be tagged in for that team must run to the entrance of Domus Flau. They will then warp to the battlefield and will fight for the remainder of the game for the people they just replaced. The leader cannot switch out. Also, be careful with your beacon. It can only be used once, and then it destroys itself. Last team standing wins!"

"One more thing!" Mato grinned maniacally. "There's nothing against destroying other beacons."

* * *

"Miss, we don't have a reserve—"

"Are they fools?" Minerva spread out an arm. Behind her, Sabertooth's beacon exploded. Mechanical parts littered the ground while flames burned the grass. "Sabertooth has no need for a handicap. Understood?"

The rest of her team nodded in compliance.

"Now." Minerva composed herself, that same smug smirk lined her lips. "For starters, why don't the rest of you destroy Lamia Scale's and Mermaid Heel's beacons first?"

* * *

The litter was set down and the person on it jumped off. The two hooded figures of Imperial Snow set up dual Surveillance Lacrima as well.

Mizuno whispered quietly, "We can't have the Lacrima Vision Camera catching everything around here. Hack into the Lacrima and control what they see."

The people nodded and they went to work, their fingers flying across the keyboard.

* * *

At Domus Flau, one of the Lacrima Vision blacked out. People yelled out in confusion as they wondered why that Lacrima stopped functioning.

"J-just hold on, people, pumpkin," Mato said nervously. "Technical maintenance, just hold on."

Two minutes later, the Lacrima that blacked out began to function properly. On the screen, everyone could see Rogue approaching Mizuno.

Or so they thought.

* * *

**~In reality~**

Rogue separated from the rest of his team. His frustration at his two most hated opponents not being here was quite obvious. He had a very ugly score that he wanted settled—he just couldn't tell which one he _could_ have gone for first.

Movement from the hill forced Rogue into the shadows. Then Yaeger and War Cry ran past his hiding spot. Both men were yelling as they climbed the hill.

The person at the top—who turned out to be Sasori of Imperial Snow—simply yawned as he somersaulted off the litter and out of the way of Quatro Cerberus' attack. He then proceeded to lure them downhill, and they followed.

Keeping to the shadows, Rogue quickly slipped towards the litter. He came out of the darkness as he inspected its structure—even though it was a vehicle. Now that he had a closer look, what he thought was cloth covering the vehicle was in fact cloth lining glass walls on the inside. And the top looked more like a lid—

"If you're that curious, then why don't you look inside?"

Rogue spun around, his eyes narrowed at Mizuno who stood behind him, smiling. "The only way I could bring this coffin was to smuggle it into the games as a vehicle. And it worked," he said, leaping over to the other side of the coffin.

"And if it's a trap?" Rogue asked.

Mizuno simply shrugged, retaining his sly smile. "You can figure it out for yourself—after you defeat me!"

The Imperial Guardian of the South thrust his hands out and suddenly, a large torrent of water forced Rogue down the hill.

He gritted his teeth; his pride wouldn't allow him to be defeated by some narcissist. Rogue sank back into the shadows, climbing up as he slipped into Mizuno's shade.

Mizuno leaped into the air as Rogue aimed a Shadow Dragon's Claw at him but missed. Then it occurred to him that Rogue's target wasn't him: it was the coffin.

"Damn!" Mizuno cried.

It was already too late. The coffin shattered into shards and splinters mixed with shreds of cloth. _Got it_, Rogue thought.

In the coffin's place was a person hovering above the ground, surrounded in blue light. For a moment, Rogue froze. The scent was the same—even the appearance!—but then he remembered Mizuno's trick on the first day.

"You—have—_got_ to be kidding," the Shadow Dragon Slayer bit out, glaring at the mirror mage. Floating above the hill was what Rogue assumed to be a copy of Glacia.

Mizuno raised his hands in defense—and fear for his nose. "But sir! It's the truth! She is the genuine!"

"Why the hell should I believe you?" he hissed.

Mizuno sighed. "Indeed. Yajima was correct to say that we used Black Magic to revive Princess Glacia. Of course, bringing her back was no mere feat. A blood transfusion here, surgery there—after all, when we found her, her poor little heart was pierced in two."

Neither of the men needed clarification on this.

"Of course..." Mizuno smiled sadly as he tugged at a cord around his neck. Sasori's scorpion-like whistle was attached to it. "Princess Glacia is complete—in all but soul. So...if I do this—" He blew into the instrument, a tiny high-pitched noise emanated from it.

"..." At the top of the hill, Glacia opened her eyes. The light faded and she fell to the ground. "Wh-where am I?"

It had been one year since he heard her _actual _voice—a voice filled with_ actual _emotion, even if it was confusion. The faint smell of mint reached Rogue's nose. He didn't realize how much he had missed that scent.

Glacia looked around, her eyes found Mizuno and—Rogue.

Glacier blue eyes widened in shock, and Glacia brought her left hand to her mouth—before she coughed violently into it.

"Glacia!" Both Mizuno and Rogue stepped forward, but the latter advanced further. He stopped in his tracks when Glacia pulled her hands away from her bleeding mouth.

"...R-Rogue..." Glacia met his eyes, her own filled with pain as tears threatened to spill. "...i-it hurts...make it stop..."

He couldn't tear his eyes away from her. She was suffering so much but he couldn't do a thing. Finally, Rogue forced himself to look at Mizuno. "What did you do?"

Mizuno leaned back on his heels. "We performed surgery on her heart—but I never said we_ replaced_ it. But it seems that the surgeons did a poor job. Her heart can't function like it used to—"

He blew the whistle again, this time the sound was low-key. Glacia's eyes drooped, and she fell back. Blood stopped flowing, and she was breathing calmly now.

"If you want to save Princess Glacia—" The original Ice Dragon Slayer was then encased in water and floated away from the fight. "—you'll have to take _this_ away from me," Mizuno said, flaunting the scorpion whistle.

The air grew colder. Shadows flocked to Rogue's side as he glowered at Mizuno, a murderous glint in his eyes.

The mirror mage smiled maniacally. "_That's_ more like it."

* * *

At Domus Flau, everyone could see Mizuno using his Mirror Magic to create a clone of Glacia to fight Rogue.

If only they knew how wrong they were.


	20. Cold Soul

Chapter 20

**Cold Soul**

* * *

"I remember." Rufus approached Team Lamia Scale, who assumed an offensive stance. "Your strengths...your weaknesses...your magic. It's all crystal clear." The masked wizard put his fingers at his temples. "Memory-Make: Silver Legion Fulminata!"

A magic seal appeared before him; countless silver soldiers thundered towards the team. With each step, black lightning struck the earth. And when one of the silver warriors attempted to throw its spear at Chelia, instead it hit a boulder, which was reduced to fine sand after being struck by black thunder.

"Toby, don't scratch them!" Lyon yelled. "Ice-Make: Rampart!"

Try as he might, the silver creations armed with Orga's black lightning vaporized the ice barrier. The silver army stomped past the team, and Lyon realized their goal too late. "The beacon!"

Like an answered prayer, Yuka appeared in front of the beacon. "Wave Barrier!"

A large blue wave materialised before the Surge. The silver creations tackled the wall, only to vanish under the anti-magic shield.

Behind him, rock pillars surrounded the beacon before they were protected by an ice dome. With Yuka's Wave Barrier, the triple shield protection was complete.

Rufus frowned in disappointment. "Memory-Make—" Movement under him reached his eyesight and before he could react, Lyon kicked his chin from underneath. "Gah!"

"I've always wanted to try that," Lyon said brightly as Rufus backed away in recoil. "Dobengal said you were a ranged fighter. In other words—" He pointed a finger at the masked wizard in triumph. "You can't take a punch!"

* * *

"Bwahaha!" The audience laughed at Lyon's statement about one of Sabertooth's finest not being able to take a hit.

"Hehe, the things we can do to Sabertooth now," Ooba chuckled. "We know everything. And we won't back down until we exploit every one of your weaknesses!"

"Say, Obaba," Chapati wondered. "How did you get ahold of that kind of stuff anyway?"

"My ninja was more than happy to share what he knew," the old lady gloated.

Within the stands, a chubby member of Lamia Scale muttered to his friend. "After he resisted when she tried to spin it out of him. Never saw anyone disobey Obaba like that. "

* * *

Yaeger and War Cry collapsed and the bulkier of the two men landed on top of the other. Two scorpions shuffled away from the Quatro Cerberus magicians.

"While his comrade takes care of a Twin Dragon, Sasori tames the puppies!"

Imperial Snow: 44**P**

Sasori rested lazily on a boulder as he watched Rogue and Mizuno's fight on the next hill over. "That's it. Taunt him, Mizuno. Use the princess to torture Rogue to absolutely no end."

The scorpion master's eyes widened, a flame lit in his mismatched irises. A triumphant grin lined his lips as he put his fingers to his temple.

"Open, gate of the Scorpion: Scorpio!"

"We are—Sand Buster!"

Sasori leapt into the air before the crushing sand could hit him. He landed on a nearby boulder as he did a single once-over of his opponent. "Ah. You're that Celestial Wizard from Fairy Tail!" Purple and blue eyes scrutinized Scorpio before Sasori scoffed lightly. "So _this_ is Scorpio of the Ecliptic Zodiac? This little waif is the Scorpion?"

"For your information, Scorpio is stronger than you think!" Lucy shouted.

Scorpio crossed his arms, his index and pinky fingers up. "We may not meet your expectations, but with our friend's wish, we are just as powerful as a scorpion!"

"'Just as powerful', huh?" Sasori spread out his right hand; on his palm was a scorpion enclosed within a circle. "Then I have just the opponent for you." He lifted his hand so that the palm would face the sky.

_Do you hear me, O guardian saint?_  
_I am the master of thy children!_  
_I, who hold dominion over thee,_  
_Command you to appear before me_  
_Under our contract!_  
_Open, Gate of the Guardian of the West!_

Sasori thrust his hand downwards so that his now glowing palm faced the ground. A magic seal appeared beneath his right hand and sand cascaded from it. From the grit rose an enormous golden scorpion with gleaming pincers; a long tail that curved in a great arc; and a tough exoskeleton like armor.

"Whoa! It's huge!" Lucy squeaked.

Sasori jumped onto the gargantuan scorpion's back. "She," he said. "Her name is Serket. She's my familiar that I can summon into combat. Kinda like your spirits, right?"

* * *

"Ho ho," a feminine voice said warily. "That's not a magic you see everyday."

Makarov and the rest of Fairy Tail looked at the source of the voice, only to see the first master of Fairy Tail sitting on the stone parapet with a sombrero on her head.

"Master Mavis, where have you been? And what's with the crazy hat!" Bixlow exclaimed.

Mavis Vermillion winked. "I've been sightseeing. This is a souvenir from Desierto."

Levy sweated, trying her best to laugh but couldn't. "Does anyone else find that weird—_oomph_!" Lisanna covered her mouth.

"If we pointed that out to her, she might start crying," Lisanna whispered and they both shuddered comically.

"I tried to come as fast as I could, but Minstrel was so much fun!" Mavis giggled. "But—" Her demeanor took a serious turn. "Beast Tamer Magic—that's not an ability many are willing to utilize."

"Beast Tamer Magic?" Pantherlily questioned.

"Ah!" Levy clapped her hands together as the gears turned in her head. "Beast Tamer Magic allows the caster to bend a creature's will to their whim, and they can later summon the creature to their side. But...It's frequently called Circus Magic because it's only used by ringmasters of circuses for their performances, so that's why many don't learn it."

* * *

Nobarly hid behind a boulder as soon as he saw Lamia Scale's Yuka come around the corner. The Surge skidded to a halt, glancing around for the lone underdog. He shrugged tiredly as he headed back the way he came. Nobarly sighed in relief, not realizing what a mistake it was.

"Hii-yah!" Long green nails scratched Nobarly's face; the underdog held his face in his hands in pain as he fell, unable to move his body.

Lamia Scale 42**P**

"Nice one, Toby!" Yuka and Toby high-fived each other. "So while Lyon handles that Saber, we go around picking on anyone we can find. As long as Jura and Lyon are with us, we're invincible."

"Chelia's strong, too!"

"Gihihi!"

The duo looked at each other. "...Tell me that was you," Yuka said.

"Gihi!" A shadow from above landed on its feet, revealing itself to be Gajeel. "Now who do we have here?" he chuckled.

"It's Gajeel!"

"We're invincible, you said?!" Toby screamed.

"Iron Dragon's Club!" Gajeel's arm darkened and turned into an iron club, growing in length with such speed that it would hit Toby for sure.

Panicking, Toby grabbed a small, slim instrument around his neck and blew into it.

The Lamia Scale duo couldn't hear a thing, but a high-pitched noise hit Gajeel's ears hard. To him, it was like nails scatching a blackboard, hurting his ears so badly Gajeel had to cover them. And to do that, his club arm pulled back and returned to normal length, becoming a normal hand again.

Toby pulled the instrument away from his mouth hesitantly. "Did—did it work?"

"If it did, let's get the hell out of here before he gets back up!" Yuka grabbed Toby and dashed away from Gajeel, who still held his ears and groaned.

"Oh my! The infamous Black Steel is helpless before a dog whistle!" Chapati's voice announced, amazed.

"Dogs hear on a higher frequency than humans, so what about dragons?" Yajima added.

"Yuka, Toby: You're supposed to strike the iron while it's still hot!" Ooba shrieked.

"Right now, I don't care if Obaba spins us after this," Yuka admitted while running away with Toby. "But as long as we can help it, no leaders, no Dragon Slayers, and absolutely_ not_ Sabertooth. The rest are fair game!"

"And if that doesn't work?"

"As long as it's a Dragon Slayer...That's where your dog whistle comes in!"

* * *

**10:45 A.M.**

A volley of dark rays from Rogue flew towards Mizuno, who simply summoned a mirror at the snap of his fingers. The Shadow Dragon Slayer's attack was absorbed by the mirror. "Cheap tricks. Mirror Shot!"

The mirror's surface warped, and Rogue's own spell bounced back at him. He leapt out of the way as one ray passed inches away from his chest.

"You know, there's one thing I don't get about you," Mizuno called. "You carry that sword around but you hardly ever use it. Do you carry it around as decoration? Or is it only for people who get on your nerves, like Platina?"

Rogue looked up at the mention of the silver witch's name, eyes narrowed dangerously. "If that were so, it's a wonder how you still have your head," he grated.

Mizuno clapped lightly. "Yes, if it were so, Niebel would be dead by now. And if we said that it were so, why didn't you lash out at Niebel like you do everyone else in this damned city?"

"...He's just a kid."

"But Princess Glaciana was a child too—I mean, she bore the appearance of a child when you met her, no?" Mizuno pointed out.

".._.Glaciana_?" Rogue asked skeptically.

"Whoops." Mizuno chuckled lightly. "Slip of the tongue, but I'm afraid it's too late. That is Princess Glacia's full name given to her from her dragon, recorded when our late master adopted her. After all, Glacia was a girl with no official records when he found her. But she hates being called Glaciana, so we shortened it. Gla-ci-a-na, Gla-ci-a. Of course, some pronounce it Gla-cia, don't they?"

"I'm on a tangent, aren't I? Back to the main topic: what is it about Niebel that you don't lash out at him?" Mizuno leaned forward, the scorpion whistle hung loosely around his neck. "Unless...It's because he resembles Princess Glacia too much?"

"...Niebel's her brother, of course he looks like her," Rogue responded.

Mizuno's eyes widened before they narrowed, a victorious smile on his face. "Now I understand: You're in love with Glacia."

"Ugh..."

"Thank you." Mizuno straightened his posture. "I now know your weakness, Mister Cheney. But...I'm such a sap for dramas, so I'll allow you one last good-bye."

Rogue opened his mouth to ask what he meant when he felt two small arms wrap themselves around his waist from behind. "...Rogue...please, get away from here..."

The Shadow Dragon Slayer glanced back to see Glacia burying her face in his cape. "Just...get out of here," she mumbled monotonously. "Once Mizuno blows that whistle...I won't be able to control myself..."

Something caught Rogue's attention, which prompted him to confront Mizuno. "You said you never replaced her heart," he accused.

"Ah, but this—" The mirror mage flaunted the whistle. "Allows me to control her soul however I wish. I can make her feel no pain at all, or push her to life's edge with just a blow."

A small whimper behind Rogue escaped the Ice Dragon Slayer's mouth as she held his cape. All he could do was hold the hand clutching his cape gently. "Bastard," he hissed.

The mirror mage scratched his chin. "Come to think of it..." Mizuno lifted the whistle to his lips. "I don't think you've ever seen Glacia..._hateful_, have you?"

A cold, eerie tune drifted out of the whistle.

Two palms slammed against Rogue's back, but did little to make him stumble. However, the dark-haired man felt icicles pierce his back and protrude from his right chest, thankfully missing his heart. The Shadow Dragon Slayer choked on his blood while the ice chilled his insides—literally.

"Rogue...You were supposed to listen to me..." Glacia mumbled as he fell to his knees. "But..."

Rogue looked at the original Ice Dragon Slayer behind himself. She raised her head, meeting his gaze with the same slit-pupiled eyes that he bore. "You're still the same sap that you were last year," she sneered at him.

* * *

Clothes flew out of a suitcase and landed perfectly on a bed, only to be joined by knee-high boots seconds later.

"Can't wear these anymore," the person grumbled as they stripped to wear new clothes.

A comb was set down. "Am I missing anything?" said the mystery person as they checked themselves with a small rectangular mirror.

Snapping their fingers, they went over to another suitcase. After much searching, a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses was produced from the luggage.

* * *

**Trivia: The name for Memory-Make: Silver Legion Fulminata came from an actual Roman legion, Twelfth Legion Fulminata. Fulminata means '**armed with lightning**.'**

**~Coming up next time~**

"Rogue Cheney...You—are—one pathetically, gullible sap."

"Is this what you smelled?"

"Ever heard of use and disuse?"

"What's the point of carrying that sword—when you never use it?"

"Think we were too cruel?"

"Still, I kinda pity the guy."


	21. Scheming Avian

Chapter 21

**Scheming Avian**

* * *

"I can't believe he has the nerve to do that again," Vóreia grumbled as Mirror Glacia assaulted Rogue. "He has brains, so why would he do that?"

"Unless...Mizuno's exploiting the feelings Glacia had for Rogue when she was alive," Lector said. "And the emotions he still has for her."

"Fro thinks so too!"

* * *

Mirajane waved a hand, smiling in her Satan Soul Take-Over form. "Hi, Jenny."

"Gah! Mira!" That was the last thing Jenny got to say before Mirajane struck her down.

**Fairy Tail B** 27**P**

Erza glanced at her surroundings. "Hm...There's no one here—"

"Erza, my darling~!" The female knight froze comically, shaking in her armor as Ichiya took in her scent with a deep whiff. "A beautiful perfume as always~!"

The scarlet-haired mage clenched a shaking fist. "Stay away from me!" she screamed, punching Ichiya high in the air.

"Men~!"

**Fairy Tail A** 47**P**

"Freeze!" Just as he did on the first day, Lyon froze Semmes where he stood.

**Lamia Scale** 43**P**

Sting approached Mermaid Heel's beacon, only to find Kagura guarding it. "Great, can't do that," he muttered.

* * *

11:05 A.M.

It was official: Mizuno's place on Rogue's hit list had moved up to number one. Then it was a tie between the ninja and the silver witch for number two.

Rogue moved out of the way as a bladed ice whip tried to lash him.

"You should be glad Niebel's not here!" Mizuno laughed as he sat down on a rock. "Put the Imperial Dragons together, they're unstoppable!"

The Shadow Dragon Slayer could only do so much while he was injured; dodging was one of them.

Glacia's left hand became scaly, complete with razor-edged claws. She swung her talons towards Rogue, who caught her wrist before it could slice him. The smaller of the Dragon Slayers struggled; Rogue twisted her wrist roughly, forcing her arm to return to normal. Glacia yelled out while her right hand pried at Rogue's to free her arm.

He didn't want to add to her injuries while her heart couldn't process. But a certain narcissist seemed to be enjoying himself watching him fight with Glacia.

"Uh-oh." Mizuno leaned forward, holding the whistle close to his mouth. "She's feeling pain, isn't she? Then again, it's nothing she can't handle."

_Wait_, Rogue thought. _If Mizuno doesn't have the whistle—_

"—He loses the means to control me," Glacia finished his thoughts.

"So that's your plan, huh!"

The cold tune played again and this time, Rogue was thrown across the wasteland. Glacia opened her hand, a snowflake hovering over it. A snowstorm flew towards him as she blew into her hand. The Shadow Dragon ducked into the shadows, into his domain.

"Hiding, huh?" Mizuno glanced at every shade he could find. "So where are you...?" His eyes finally landed on his feet, where a misshapen circle of darkness rested underneath. "Oh crap."

Mizuno jumped into the air, but a hand grabbed his ankle and pulled him down.

"So you want the whistle?" he gloated. "Over _Glacia's_ dead body!"

* * *

"Kyah!"

"Our opponents just had to be women," Ren complained, sending an aerial shot at Beth, Risley, and Arania.

"The ladies won't forgive us," Eve sighed, using his Snow Magic.

"Hang on," Hibiki alerted. "There's someone coming to us."

"Me-ow~!" Millianna entered the fray. "Risley, can you still move?"

Risley nodded, confirming the cat woman's question.

"Then the three of you should get to the beacon. I'll take care of these guys~."

"But who are our reserves?" Beth asked.

Millianna winked. "We'll worry about that later."

* * *

"So you want the whistle? Over_ Glacia's_ dead body!" Mizuno put his lips to the instrument.

Glacia fell to her knees; a hand over her chest, another covering her mouth. It seemed she was struggling against the need to spit out her own blood and the will to not do so.

"Can you do anything better than toying with people?"

Mizuno dodged each of Rogue's assaults with great agility. "Toying with humans—that's Avian's speciality. I, however, indulge in emotions. Especially_ love._"

Rogue brought his arm forward, his hand wrapped in shadows as he made a move for Mizuno's face. The Imperial Guardian of the South scrambled back for his life—and for his nose.

A sphere of water formed in his hand as liquid bullets shot towards Rogue. "Relentless Tears! Fitting name, no?" Mizuno added.

Before the water bullets hit, Rogue drew his katana and swung it at Mizuno, who pulled his head back. The blade's tip nearly slit his throat; but as the blade completed its arc, Mizuno's eyes widened in surprise. Rogue had cut the cord that attached Sasori's whistle around his neck.

Mizuno made a grab for the whistle; but in a downward movement of his sword, the whistle was sliced in half. A glowing blue light drifted out of the broken pieces of the whistle before floating away. Rogue watched the light's path as it flew towards Glacia—and passed her.

Confusion hit him at the same time Mizuno's water bullets made contact, pushing him across the plateau. His sword bounced lightly on the grass behind him.

Glacia stopped coughing—but now she was trying to muffle her giggling. Mizuno clapped mockingly. "Rogue Cheney...You—are—one pathetically, gullible sap," he applauded.

Dread replaced confusion as Rogue glanced between Mizuno, Glacia, and the broken whistle. Behind him, someone else applauded. "Aw, is the performance over already?"

Rogue turned around to see Avian approaching the threesome with a smile on his masked face. In Rogue's eyes, he could have been a short purple-haired Rufus without the feathered hat.

"And Jigumo calls you the airhead. He fell for it; hook, line, and sinker!" Mizuno snickered.

"You two...What's going on?"

Avian chuckled lightly. "Mizuno has already told you of our individual fortes, yes? He toys with emotions, but humans are_ my_ expertise. Put us together, and we can put Sabertooth out of the sadism business." He stroked Glacia's head while Rogue wondered how exactly she rushed to Avian's side without him noticing. "But what surprised me the most was how easily you believed that _this_ was the genuine."

"But...Her scent, her blood—"

Avian patted 'Glacia's' head; she faded away as green light while a small white object floated to the ground. The Imperial Guardian of the East caught it swiftly and held it out for Rogue to see. "Is this what you smelled?" In Avian's hand was a bundle of white hair held together by a blue ribbon spotted with dried blood.

Rogue could have sworn he heard laughter on the wind, sneering at him. He'd been duped and used for the Imperial Guardians' amusement.

"Give me a hair, some blood, even a doll; and I can give you a being so human, even a Dragon Slayer like you can't tell the difference. That is divine power of Personification Magic," the jester said.

"Every Imperial Guardian has a secondary ability," the Imperial Guardian of the South related. "And one other thing that connects them."

"And that is?" Rogue inquired, clenching his hands.

"You see, an S-Class Wizard of our guild doesn't just become an Imperial Guardian. They have to have...certain qualities," Avian explained. "Speed, intelligence, offense and defensive magic; but mostly, you need_ deception_. An Imperial Guardian must be able to lie straight through their teeth without batting an eye."

"Ever heard of use and disuse?" Mizuno asked abruptly. "Whatever you don't use, you lose."

"Your point?"

As Avian approached Rogue's back, he picked up the Shadow Dragon Slayer's fallen sword. "What's the point of carrying that sword—" Mizuno continued while Avian plunged the sword through Rogue's back, piercing his abdomen cleanly.

"—when you never use it?" Avian finished, twisting the blade for good measure. Rogue choked on his blood again as he fell to his knees. Avian withdrew the sword from his body and tossed it aside. "This counts as a point for us, no?"

"...It would..." Rogue panted, placing a hand on a rock to steady himself. "But not if your opponent is still standing..."

"Oh, you're still alive?" Mizuno mused. Broken shards of a mirror hovered over his hand. "We'll just have to change that, won't we!"

Holding his bleeding stomach, Rogue moved away from the glass shard assault. He grabbed his katana while he was at it.

The wind picked up around Avian while water streams floated around Mizuno. "Destructive Monsoon of the Orient!" The Imperial Guardians yelled together.

An enormous flood carried everything on the hill away with the water, even Rogue and the boulders. After the monsoon faded, Mizuno rushed to the edge of the hill, scanning the field below. "No sign of him," he said.

"And our score hasn't changed at all," Avian added. "He's still alive...just barely."

"Yeah...that's a relief," Mizuno mumbled.

The Imperial Guardian of the East cocked his head at him. "You say something, Mizuno?"

"Think we were too cruel?" the water mage asked.

"Cruelty is a matter of perspective. On a scale of one to Sasori, we just missed Jigumo."

"Still, I kinda pity the guy." Mizuno shook his head. "We used Princess Glaciana against him...even if it was a cruel trick. But do you think we should have told him she _is_ alive?"

"You told him that earlier," Avian interjected. "The question is, will he believe it now?"

"Yeah," he murmured. "Now that he knows what else you can do, he probably won't hold back if we tried to fool him again. But if he saw the_ actual_ genuine, even though she's back at the hotel—"

Mizuno's eyes widened in realization, and he began to laugh. "So that's your plan, isn't it, Sasori? Torture him by having him torture her!"

"It's a perfect, twisted version of the boy who cried wolf." Avian smiled sadistically. "We've tricked him over and over. Now if he sees the genuine, he won't hesitate to attack her. What better way to make the princess want to stay with us than being hurt by Rogue?"


	22. Not What I Wanted

Chapter 22

**Not What I Wanted**

* * *

**11: 25 A.M.**

A sword stabbed into the ground, followed by heavy footsteps. Rogue leaned against his sword for support as he trekked across the plateau. _I need...a place to hide,_ he thought. _Somewhere to rest._

Like an answer to his request, he spotted a crevice between a pile of rocks. After making sure no one was looking, he slipped into the crack. The inside was large enough for him to move around, and the entrance was small enough to escape notice.

Rogue slumped against the hidden crevice's wall, catching his breath. "Imperial Snow..." He slammed a fist against the wall, ignoring the fact that he might have given away his position. "I swear...I won't let you get away with this!" he growled.

* * *

**_[Let's rewind a bit, shall we? About twenty minutes, okay?]_**

Crocus Gardens,** 11: 05 A.M.**

"You guys made her...Imperial Snow made Tiamat," Sherry whispered.

"And that is correct!" A voice boomed overhead, causing the Lamia Scale mages to jolt.

"Wait, that voice!" Sherry exclaimed. His voice was the last thing she heard before she was thrown in here.

"Sasori," her comrade across the room said.

"Lights on, please," Sasori's voice instructed smoothly. The basement was barely lit up, due to poor light maintenance. A spider crept away from the light switch and returned to its nest; standing on the spider web was the gladiator of Imperial Snow.

"Sasori, didn't you go to the games earlier?"

"Relax, little ninja," Sasori assured. "This is just a Thought Projection. See?" His body flickered momentarily, and his arm turned translucent. "My real body's fighting that Celestial Wizard from Fairy Tail. I just wanted to check up on our prisoners."

Next to him, the larger of the two cocoons moved violently. Sasori jumped in surprise, but rested a hand on it. "Easy, girl. It's almost done."

"What's in there, a giant spider?" Sherry asked, creeped out and disgusted.

Sasori chuckled. "Nothing you should be afraid of, really. Why, worried that you'll be eaten?"

"...It's not the larger that bothers me, it's the smaller cocoon," Dobengal stated.

The scorpion glanced at the smaller cocoon glowing with blue light. "Yeah, maybe you_ should_ have a reason to worry about that one," he murmured.

"I don't care for a giant spider that Jigumo's raising. I want to know what's in that one." The ninja jerked his head towards the blue cocoon.

"You don't beat around the bush, do you?" Sasori leaned against the giant web. "I suppose you could say it all started with Avian. He was the mastermind behind Tiamat, after all. But the cocoon business—" On cue, the larger cocoon twitched. "—even though it's only recent, might have began a year ago, at least a month after Glacia's demise," he articulated, making his ex-comrade flinch.

* * *

**~Flashback~**

_Four figures sat on large pillars in a grand room lit only by candles._

_"He's not coming back, is he?" Jigumo asked from the western pillar._

_"It takes at least three months for a person to travel that far south," Mizuno's voice said._

_"Yes, but knowing Niebel and his devotion to Glacia, he probably decided to stay in Fiore with her," Avian interjected, situated across from Jigumo. "Sasori?" he inquired the man on the highest pillar in the room._

_"...He will return. Fate dictates it," Sasori told the others._

_Jigumo guffawed. "As if! Wherever Glaciana is, Niebel's never too far."_

_"You're starting to sound like Nordenburg," Mizuno added._

_"...He'll come back," the blue and purple-haired mage restated._

_The doors to the pillar room burst open as a small masked figure dragged in what appeared to be a thick ice coffin with the help of a white bear. In his other hand was a doll with white hair._

_"...Is there something you want?" Sasori asked the intruder._

_"I want..." The masked person looked up at the mages sitting on the pillars. His hand squeezed the doll tightly. "I want revenge," a boy's voice answered. "I want you to bring her back."_

_"Who?" Jigumo questioned. The intruder placed a hand on the ice coffin. "In there?"_

_Avian floated down from the pillar, landing beside the ice coffin. "Ice to preserve the body," he murmured. "And inside?" The Imperial Guardian of the East lifted the frozen lid a few inches, slowly lowering it after he saw what was inside. "Princess Glacia..."_

_"What?" Mizuno jumped down from his pillar to make sure Avian wasn't joking. But when he lifted the coffin lid, he shut it almost immediately. But not all the way; Jigumo's hand kept it from doing so. The spider specialist raised the lid all the way so he could see the occupant._

_"No way," he mumbled._

_Inside the ice coffin was the lifeless body of Glacia Patin. Her blue dress was tattered and bloodied; her hair was covered in dust and debris; and her heart was replaced by a gaping hole._

_The scorpion master remained where he was. "You want revenge—but on who?" Sasori asked from above._

_"...Fiore," the person murmured._

_It was spoken so quietly, he had trouble catching it. Sasori rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. "What is it that you want?" he asked._

_The masked figure looked up to the scorpion master, determination blazing in his blue eyes. "I want Sissy alive again. I want Sissy with me forever."_

_Jigumo blinked. "Sissy?"_

_The figure removed his mask and tossed it aside; the mask hit the wall and shattered. "And that is why I've returned," Niebel said._

_Sasori put on a poker face, revealing no traces of his satisfaction. "There is a spell in the Book of Zeref that breathes life unto the dead. But it's not a spell that can be perfected easily. We need to practice—"_

_"I don't care what you need; I only want Sissy beside me forever!" Niebel called up to Sasori._

_"Uh, Nieb? You might not wanna yell at—" But Niebel swatted Jigumo's arm away as he continued:_

_"I could care less about the lives that you have to sacrifice for that spell; the only life I care about is Sissy's!" the second Ice Dragon Slayer yelled, his voice reverbrating around the room. "I hate those cowards in Fiore," he growled. "Who do they think they are?"_

_Avian reached his hand out to pat Niebel's shoulder, but the younger boy slapped it away. "Niebel—" Avian attempted to comfort._

_Sasori applauded, interrupting whatever Avian would have said. "You're right, Niebel." He stepped off his pillar and floated to earth. "The country of Fiore is full of cowards," he agreed. Sasori rested a hand on Niebel's head as he bent down to his level. "So cowardly, they gave up Glacia for peace without a second thought."_

_The scorpion specialist held out a hand with all the fingers except for the pinky bent. "All right then. As the Imperial Guardian of the West, I'll bring Glacia back for you; but in return, I want one thing."_

_Niebel tilted his head. "And that is?"_

_Sasori smirked. "Your absolute loyalty to the guild...as the Imperial Guardian of the North."_

* * *

"After that, Niebel was ours to command," Sasori said. "I kept my word; the rest of us gathered what we needed to fulfill Niebel's wish: a heart, some blood, and a soul. Of course, Glacia's soul was a bit tricky. It could have been in heaven or hell; but fate decided to make her suffer by having her soul trapped in the royal castle, Mercurius."

"That's where the doll Niebel had at the time came in," he continued, "the doll that _you_ made for Glacia. The same doll that Vóreia conveniently tossed away. We needed a vessel to hold the soul; and what better than a doll version of her?"

The ninja gaped at the gladiator. "You didn't..."

Sasori smirked victoriously. "We did. We perfected the magic from the Book of Zeref! We resurrected Glacia from the dead! She's in this hotel now!"

"That's wonderful...but you only needed three things to bring Glacia back," Sherry interrupted. "And if it wasn't an easy spell—"

"You didn't expect us to run a spell that we had no idea would work at all, did you? We had to—experiment," Sasori said.

The Lamia Scale mages' heads shot up at the scorpion master's words. "The kidnappings," Sherry murmured.

"They were the guinea pigs," the scorpion specialist told them simply. "It took us—what, twenty tries to get it right? Each time we failed—let's just say Serket and Arachne enjoyed some meat. You remember them, don't you?" he added to Dobengal.

"They were lives, for crying out loud! People with families that loved them!" Sherry cried.

"Was one life worth the lives of many?" he asked, ignoring Sasori's question.

"Was peace worth the price of one girl?" Sasori shot back, shutting the prisoners up. "Thought so. But during our test runs, we discovered something interesting: A revived person needed another soul to bond with in order to survive; otherwise they'd only live up to a month. And the younger the second souls were, the longer they would live." The scorpion master rested an elbow on the web structure. "Babies have all their years ahead of them, wouldn't you agree?"

_The dead infant we found on the third night_, Sherry thought._ A man without any blood...and a girl without a heart!_

Sasori saw the look on Sherry's face. "Jigumo did a really poor job of disposing the final lab rats, didn't he?" he said to her. "I insisted on having them devoured, but_ no_—he didn't want to fatten his favorite giant spider," he complained. "He tossed them into a lake, and eight months later, they showed up here in Crocus."

"But like he said, Niebel didn't care about the lives that we had to dispose of," Sasori sighed, shrugging of his previous annoyance. "And we're all men of our word, so no harm—"

"I find that hard to believe."

The gladiator swiveled his head towards the ninja; both sets of eyes narrowed dangerously at each other. "Pardon?"

"Don't think I've forgotten what you're capable of, Sasori. You're not a man who would easily agree to a favor, especially not from a child. Not unless it had benefits for you," Dobengal accused.

"Sharp as ever," Sasori praised. "Yeah, there was that...and then there was_ him_," he hissed.

"Him?" Sherry asked. "Who?"

Sasori ignored the Doll Play magician and continued his dialogue. "As I said before, Tiamat was Avian's childhood work. You didn't expect him to let his favorite pet project die, did you? Of course, he knew Tiamat would be too much for Glacia to handle—even if she was a Dragon Slayer. So at the same time he injected Tiamat into Glacia, he also installed a liquified Absorption Lacrima so Avian could easily remove his creation at anytime he deemed fit—even after death."

"Tiamat? But Avian injected TI—" Sherry's words were cut off with a wave of a hand.

"TI-26A8," Sasori interjected. "That's code for 'Tiamat'. Clever, no?"

"So that's one reason," Sherry said, struggling to not only escape her bonds, but to reach the knife her guild mate had slid over to her without Sasori noticing. According to the ex-saber, they were going to act like they were still trapped, but later make a break for it once Sasori was gone. "Then what was the other?"

Sasori snorted in disgust. "Eleven months ago, at the same time we were trying to become a guild of Fiore, we received a request from this snide baron who could really use a shower—"

"The king's advisor?" Sherry wrinkled her nose as if she could already smell the disgusting noble. She winced slightly as she felt the knife tip touch her finger.

"He just happened to find out what we were doing and threatened to report us to the Council, the royal asshole. But he gave us an alternative," he spat. "His wish was to stage a coup d'état and install himself as king of Fiore."

"And he couldn't do that himself?" Dobengal asked.

"Exactly what we said," the Imperial Guardian of the West agreed. "But he told us that he needed a large amount of magic that he could use against the kingdom's Magic Unit and their executors without having to depend on mages himself."

"A coup d'état like that wouldn't go anywhere," Sherry butted in. "The city of Crocus would be in uproar, and with the country's Magic Unit, the baron would be overthrown before he could even sit on the throne."

"Couldn't have said it better. But he added some_ specific_ details about the magic he needed." Sasori climbed down from the spider web until he stood just below the cocoons. "Do either of you know how Dragon Lacrima are made?"

The Lamia Scale duo blinked at the abrupt change in topic. What did Dragon Lacrima have to do with a coup d'état?

"No," Sherry answered carefully. "Because the process to create one is so delicate, even the maker goes through trial and error."

Sasori clapped. "Correct again. The Lacrima engineer needs to have a Dragon Slayer during the procedure so that they can harness that power into one Lacrima. Of course, something like that doesn't come with malfunctions. Therefore, that sums up the worst of two ways to create a Dragon Lacrima."

"If that's the worst, then what's the better?" the ninja asked.

The scorpion master rested a hand on the large cocoon. "'_To usurp the throne of Fiore from that foolish king, I want_ _a_ _Dragon Lacrima infused with the element of ice_,'" he quoted the baron's words. _"'And what better magic to overthrow the king with than magic removed from his murderess of a daughter?'"_

"You did not..." Sherry grated.

"We did too." Sasori removed the hand on the larger cocoon and motioned to the glowing shell. "As we speak, Glacia's magic is being extracted and will soon be reborn as the most powerful Dragon Lacrima known to man!"

"You had Niebel," Dobengal reminded. "It didn't matter if you used either Glacia or Niebel to make it, but you of all people should have known that Niebel's magic surpasses hers entirely!"

"True, but sometimes you gotta ask yourself, Dobengal: What good is the_ baby_—" Sasori reset his left hand on the cocoon that held Glacia. "—when _mother_ knows best?"

"But after you're done, she won't be able to use magic!" Sherry cried, struggling against the sticky thread. She only needed to cut a bit more and she'd be free.

Sasori sighed tiredly. "And that's one drawback. Worst case scenario, Glacia might not even be alive after the extraction."

"...Sasori-san...what are you saying?" A small voice asked weakly.

The three mages within the room swiveled their heads towards the door, where Niebel stood with a hand on the doorknob. The young Imperial Guardian shook as he came into the basement, fear evident in his childish eyes.

"Niebel..." Sasori said in a tone that carried not a trace of apology.

"Sasori...you said that Sissy would live with me forever!" the boy shouted as tears threatened to spill from his eyes.

"My exact words were that I'd bring Glacia back for you," the scorpion master responded dismissively. "Her magic...and her life were mine to control as I deemed fit."

"But you promised! You swore to me—"

"I swore to you as the Imperial Guardian of the West. However—!" Sasori threw his head back and laughed. "At the time, I was no longer an Imperial Guardian!" he sneered.

While the Ice Dragon Slayer felt the weight of betrayal crashing down on him, teardrops fell one after another as Niebel screamed, "This wasn't what I wanted!"

He charged in to the room, tiny wings forming on the sides of his boots which allowed him to fly up to Sasori. Niebel's foot shot out, but simply passed through Sasori's body. "Don't forget, this is a Thought Projection! You can't touch me!"

"Now!" Dobengal yelled.

Her bonds weakened, Sherry freed herself from the spider thread and got up, dusting herself off.

Realizing that attacking the Thought Projection was pointless, Niebel assaulted the spider web in order to knock the cocoons off. "Hey, stop that!" Sasori's Thought Projection exclaimed as the strands that held the larger cocoon in place snapped. It plummeted to the floor and unravelled, leaving a pile of spider thread behind.

Niebel flew down to the thread pile and hurriedly brushed the sticky strings away. The others in the room watched as his hands uncovered strands that were finer and brighter than the spider silk. Pure white strands, in fact.

Niebel clawed at the sticky material and tossed it aside, unearthing a teenage girl with long white hair in a tattered blue dress.

"Glacia..." The ninja couldn't believe how much his former friend grew up from her child appearance.

"Sissy!" Niebel cried, brushing the girl's hair out of her eyes. But he recoiled when his hand passed over her left eye.

Even from a distance, the Lamia Scale mages winced at the bloodied mess that was now Glacia's left eye.

"Oh, that!" Sasori's Thought Projection flickered in and out of life. "I tried to go easy on her but when I handed her over to Jigumo—oh boy, that guy knows no bounds, does he?" he snickered. "Wanna ask Jigumo how melodious her screams were?"

"Sasori!" Dobengal scolded as the Thought Projection vanished.

"That guy's sick," Sherry said in disgust. "How can he enjoy someone else's pain?"

Without warning, a translucent blue specter passed through the walls and entered the basement. Sherry jumped as the wisp floated over to Glacia, hovering over her body. Niebel looked up in time to see the wisp enter the still body.

"Um...uh..." The remaining people in the basement looked at Glacia, who began to stir. "Niebel..." she mumbled, her right eye looking up at her adopted younger brother.

"Sissy, it's okay," he reassured. "We're going to be all right."

"Wait..." Her whole body shook as she pushed herself off the floor. "You mean...I'm _alive_?"

"Yeah!"

Upon hearing his response, Glacia immediately pushed herself away from Niebel. "St-stay away from me!" she pleaded, crawling backwards.

"Sissy—"

"Why did you bring me back?" Glacia whispered as tears flooded her eyes. She lowered her head so that her hair veiled her face. "Why would you_ want_ me back?"

"But Sissy, I wanted you back because I love you!" Niebel exclaimed, reaching for her weak hands. "Everything the Imperial Guardians did—everything I did was for you!"

Glacia swatted Niebel's hands away, much to his injury. "No, it wasn't for me! You only thought about yourself! If you loved me at all, you would have buried me after you found my body! I wanted to remain dead—I never wanted to come back to this world at all!" she cried.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

**Tears of Life and Love**

* * *

**11:30 A.M.**

The duo who had hacked into the Lacrima Vision stopped typing for a moment. "Now that Sasori accomplished what he wanted, what do we do now?" the first wondered out loud.

The other shrugged. "Easy: we gotta switch with Jigumo and Niebel."

Meanwhile, in another part of the landscape, Scorpio and Lucy engaged in battle with Sasori and his giant scorpion, Serket.

Scorpio crouched on all fours, aiming his tail cannon at Serket. "Sand Spear!"

A thin beam of sand burst from the cannon and shot towards the scorpion duo. Sasori puffed his cheeks and spat a large amount of purple poison at the impending attack. A furious hiss sounded as the corrosive substance hit the sand. "You're barely even worth my trouble," Sasori muttered. "Serket!"

The golden scorpion grabbed Scorpio by his tail cannon, rearing its tail back before piercing it clean through the Celestial Spirit.

"Scorpio!"

"You really made a giant mistake when you chose the ace of Imperial Snow as your opponent!" the scorpion master told Lucy as Serket advanced on the Celestial Wizard.

Elsewhere, the Trimens of Blue Pegasus were tied up by Millianna's Kitty Restraint Tube. "Feeling spiffy, right?"

**Mermaid Heel** 64**P**

"Blue Pegasus is the first guild to go!"

"Bacchus, do this for us!" The rest of Quatro Cerberus yelled.

Bacchus smirked. "No need to worry. I can handle these guys on my—oh?"

Runes lit up around him, trapping the Drunk Falcon in the enchantment. "Those who walk into this enchantment—"

"—will be unable to leave unless victorious or defeated," Freed's voice finished. Tiny runes swirled around the top of a boulder until they formed a man's body. "Dark Écriture: Pain!"

The air was soon filled with screams belonging to the Drunk Falcon.

**Fairy Tail B** 32**P**

* * *

Tears welled up in Niebel's eyes again. "Sissy..."

"I...I never wanted to come...back..." The original Ice Dragon Slayer collapsed, shallow breaths escaping her mouth through her unconscious state.

"Hey!" Sherry immediately rushed towards the girl. "Please get up—" A strange moistness made itself known to Sherry's hands, which held Glacia's back. Turning her over as gently as she could, what she found almost made her drop the girl in her arms.

Angry red scars slashed across Glacia's back, as if someone had used her as a scratching post. The marks were surrounded by both old and new blood.

"...Let's get out of here," Sherry decided, shifting Glacia onto her back. She looked around the basement uncomfortably, as if she could feel another presence with them. "You should come too, Niebel," she added.

But Niebel sat on the ground, his back turned to the Doll Play mage. Sherry noticed this and nodded sadly. "Dobengal, your turn."

"Sorry?"

"You used to be in the same guild. If not me, who else will he listen to?"

"Well?"

"...Where's my knife?" he asked.

Sherry frowned. "What does a knife have to do with all this?"

"Where is it?"

Shifting Glacia's weight, Sherry managed to pull a switchblade out of her pocket and handed it off to the ninja.

Shifting sounds behind him alerted the ex-saber that Niebel had finally gotten up. Niebel walked over to the large spider web, his eyes glazed over as if he were hypnotized. Royal blue eyes stared at the glowing blue cocoon for a long time, until—

"Your knife," Niebel said, his voice hollow and monotonous.

The ninja conceded and tossed his knife over to the Dragon Slayer, who caught it with ease. Niebel placed the handle between his lips as he climbed up the arachnid nest until he reached the cocoon that held his sister's magic. Using the knife, the second Ice Dragon Slayer cut through all but two of the numerous strands that connected the shell to the web.

"...Just two?" Dobengal asked as Niebel jumped down.

"Jigumo designed this spider web with Arachne," Niebel said in that dead voice. "If anything happened to one strand, the rest would speed up the extraction. Two is enough to get the job done quickly."

The cocoon glowed even brighter, nearly blinding everyone in the basement with its radiance. Then the light died down as the strands that held it up thinned before snapping. The shell would have plummeted to the ground if Niebel hadn't caught it.

"...Follow me," Niebel said quietly, moving past Sherry and Glacia. The Doll Play mage looked at the ninja, who simply trailed after the Ice Dragon Slayer.

Meanwhile, a small spider leaped off the spider web. Its eyes watched the group leaving up the stairs and followed after them.

The Lamia Scale duo were extra cautious—what if Niebel led them into a trap? But after they reached the first landing, their guide climbed up another set of stairs until he reached the second landing. He motioned for them to come up.

The spider from earlier crawled along the railing. The door to the second floor was about to close but the spider made it through in time.

"Over here," Niebel said, standing before a heavily padlocked door.

"Wait, isn't that—?" But the Ice Dragon Slayer ignored the protests and opened each padlock. As soon as the final lock popped open, Niebel pushed the door on its hinges.

The room was surprisingly neat: the queen sized bed looked like it was made recently; an assortment of clothes hung neatly on hangers; a set of double doors led out to a balcony. "This room seems pretty clean for a mutated person's," Dobengal said.

Niebel looked at his ex-comrade in surprise. "Dobengal...what are you talking about?"

"There is no mutated person: this is Sissy's room."

* * *

The spider crawled through the crack under the door into a room filled with cobwebs. Spiders dangled from the ceiling while some rested in their nests. On a bed was Jigumo, snoring softly while Olivia the spider hung over his chest. The small spider scuttled up the bed and onto his face, clicking its pincers softly.

The spider master opened an eye, only to find the tiny arachnid on his nose. "Something wrong?" he asked.

The spider clicked away in Morse code. Jigumo raised an eyebrow. "So they got out...and Niebel's with them?"

More clicks. "And he took the Dragon Lacrima with him?" Jigumo cursed loudly. "And here I thought I could catch a few 'z's before that baron arrived. Then tell me, my friend..." He held a finger out to the spider on his nose. "Where is our little traitor?"

* * *

Sherry opened the first aid kit and ripped open a packet of alcoholic wipes. Her eyes darted from Dobengal, who sat on a chair contemplating, to Niebel, who was out on the balcony with his head on the railing.

"Dobengal...why don't you talk to Niebel?" Sherry asked.

The ninja looked at her in astonishment. "That's the last thing he'd want me to do. After all...I murdered his beloved sister," he said quietly.

"True...but the sister he loves...practically rejected him." Sherry rested a hand on Glacia's head, moving her long hair aside. "It's not easy to tell someone you love them and be denied. The same applies to losing the one you care for. You understand, right? Because that's how you feel about her—Glacia, I mean."

"Felt, you mean," Dobengal corrected. "After all..." He lowered his head. "She doesn't have room in her heart for me. What was it, fourteen years? That's how long I've waited to see if she felt the same. Now, I'll be surprised if she doesn't hate me for killing her."

Sherry smiled sadly. "Isn't it healthier to be honest with yourself?"

"..."

"Besides, there's one other reason why I want you to talk to Niebel," she continued, turning around. "It'll give you guys something to do instead of mope. And—"

"And?"

She pushed the ninja off the chair and onto the balcony. "No men allowed in this room for the time being until I say so!" she ordered, making Niebel jump slightly. "Now you two had better make nice or I will personally push you over the railing!"

The doors slammed shut making the two flinch at the noise.

"...Your guild mate's pretty scary," Niebel mumbled, breaking his own silence.

"And I thought you hate me?"

"...Right now...I'm not sure if I hate you...or myself." The Ice Dragon Slayer lifted his head a bit. "Because Sissy..."

"It's not your fault that she said that," the ninja said. "I was in the basement too. She probably meant she didn't want to be here...because of me."

"Yeah...but to be honest, I kinda knew she would say something like that." Niebel smiled painfully. "After we revived her...when we brought her back, Sissy forgot who I was. She couldn't remember a thing. That was really painful.

"But...it's okay now," he continued. "She has her memories again...even the painful ones. Memories of you...recollections of Vóreia...even Rogue."

"You act like Vóreia and Rogue committed crimes. What about me? Aren't I the person who murdered Glacia?"

"...For some reason, I can't help but think that what you did was a good thing," Niebel said. He gripped the railing. "Because...when Sissy was alive, she took on so much pain and abuse." The boy looked up with teary eyes. "Even though she hardly ever cried, Sissy could still feel emotions. She could feel hurt—but people would only add onto it."

Niebel wiped his eyes on his sleeve before the first tear could fall. "That includes me, doesn't it? I probably hurt Sissy the most—by bringing her back here in the first place. But Sissy never did anything wrong, she was just born!" He stopped talking after this, taking a moment to sniff his nose. "If it's a crime to be born," Niebel whispered, "and it's a sin to live, then how much abuse does Sissy have to go through?"

The doors creaked, causing the males to turn around and see Sherry poking her head into the balcony. "Sorry," she apologized, while looking behind herself. "But you can come back in now."

* * *

Inside, Sherry had to remove the tattered dress from Glacia in order to treat her back wounds. That was mostly the reason she threw the boys together for 'bonding time'. She giggled lightly at the thought. As she placed the wipe on her back, the girl winced in her unconscious state. So the Doll Play mage tried to act as quickly as she could. Of course, part of her that sounded suspiciously like Obaba screamed at her for treating a mage from another guild. But another voice said,_ What if it were Chelia?_

Sherry looked around in the kit for a salve, which came in the form of a bluish cream in a glass container. She frowned; it didn't seem to fit in with the other first aid equipment. But when she rubbed it over the wounds, she lost all doubts about the strange salve. Because as her hand rubbed the cream across the scars, the wounds covered over until it looked as though Glacia's back had never been marked.

So that only left her eye. Sherry found an eye patch and covered Glacia's ruined left eye, lifting her head slightly to adjust the elastic bands. After that was done, the Doll Play mage headed over to the closet for a change of clothes. To her dismay, the closet was mostly filled with dresses and skirts. The most casual clothes she could find were a loose short-sleeved sky blue shirt with navy accents; dark blue pants, and some sandals. The outfit suspiciously reminded Sherry of the clone that Mizuno created on the very first day. When she turned around, Glacia sat up on the bed with her arms trying to cover her torso.

"Um...do you want to dress yourself?" It was stupid of Sherry to ask, especially when she already knew the answer.

Glacia nodded her head weakly, her hair fell across her face. While she changed into new clothes, Sherry decided to check on the ex-comrades. She opened the door just enough to hear their conversation.

"—and it's a sin to live, then how much abuse does Sissy have to go through?"

Sherry accidentally leaned against the door, making it creak on its hinges. She attracted the attention of the two, ending their discussion. "Sorry," she said nervously, looking behind herself so she didn't have to meet their gazes. Glacia sat on the bed again, fully dressed. "But you can come back in now," she added.

Niebel walked in and stood before his sister on the bed, but Glacia didn't make eye contact. Rather, she kept her gaze down as if her blanket's design was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Sissy..." Niebel searched Glacia's face for any change in expression: none. She still wore that mask of sadness. "If you don't want to talk...if you hate me for bringing you back, I get it," he said, trying not to cry as those words escaped him. "But...what did you want, if you didn't want to live again?"

It was like talking to a brick wall but with one difference: walls didn't whisper words. "...I wanted...to sleep in peace...forever..." Glacia mumbled quietly, but Niebel managed to catch her words. Her fingers grasped the blanket. "...When I was alive before...it just felt like the gods' divine punishment for me...to live...to know what everyone else felt...and never be able to get a break from it."

"When I died...I couldn't go anywhere. Unable to move on...or be punished in hell...but being in between was still better than living," she continued. "After all, what good was I? I hurt people; _killed_ them; and I hated them. Now that I'm living again...I don't want to go outside. I know that they hate me...even Vóreia thinks so." Tears welled up in her eyes before cascading. "After all, she said...that I shouldn't have been born..." Glacia lowered her head. "...I'm...nothing but dead weight..."

"You are not!" Niebel insisted. "Vóreia's wrong!"

Even with his words, Glacia kept weeping. But then she felt a hand cup the right side of her face and wipe her tears away with a thumb. She blinked in surprise and looked up to see that the one doing so was Dobengal.

"Please don't cry." He moved Glacia's hair out of the way. "I hate it when you cry. It makes me feel like I can't do anything."

Glacia raised a hand and tried to move his arm away, sniffing sadly as she looked back down. "...I don't get it. You're supposed to hate me for hurting you. I ruined your arm...and..."

The ninja lifted Glacia's chin with a finger and used that same digit to press her forehead. "That's what _I'm_ supposed to say, little idiot. You're supposed to hate me for putting you in this position in the first place."

Sherry's mouth made an 'o' as she remembered Rogue's words on the first day.

_"'You have no idea what her tears do to a complete stranger, do you? They make you feel helpless, powerless, and those same tears could bring a god to their knees.'"_

_"'I hate it when you cry. It makes me feel like I can't do anything.'"_

_He's still in love with her_, Sherry thought with a smile.

"Sherry, you have that look in your eye."

The Doll Play mage tilted her head innocently. "What look?"

"The look that says 'I knew you were still in love with her and I will do whatever it takes to get the two of you together and you can't do anything about it'."

"Hey, if you'd just admit that you were still in love with her—" Sherry started.

"But you'd still have that look anyways," Dobengal shot.

"So you admit you still like her!" she exclaimed.

"I did not."

"But you just proved it."

She couldn't help herself. Glacia covered her mouth and giggled slightly, attracting the attention of the other people in the room. "You think so too, right?" Sherry asked.

Furious, continuous clicks reverberated through the room. Glacia jolted and covered her ears, shaking uncontrollably. "Hey, what's wrong?" Sherry tried to remove her hands from her ears, but the look in Glacia's eyes told her that she was terrified. "What is it?"

"Spide—" Before Niebel could complete that word, the door crashed down on the floor.

"And the ninja bravely comes to rescue the princess from the enemy kingdom," Jigumo sneered as he strolled in. Olivia the spider sat on his shoulder, clicking her pincers restlessly. His eyes moved past the others and saw Glacia shivering on the bed. "Ha! So the princess developed a fear of insects!"

"Jigumo!" Niebel rounded on the spider master, fury painted in his blue eyes. "You lied to me! You said that Sissy would be okay!"

Jigumo sighed tiredly. "Niebel, why didn't you listen? We're still keeping our word. Glacia's going to stay in Imperial Snow with us!"

"Like she'd want to stay! You hurt her!"

"Oh that?" The spider master waved a hand dismissively. "That wasn't even the worst of what I would have done. Sasori may have unleashed his scorpions on her, but I could have done _way_ worse. For example, ripping things off, one by—" Jigumo was thrown out of the room, crashing against a wall.

"...I just couldn't stay quiet," Dobengal said simply.

"No fair, big meanie!" Niebel yelled as the ninja rushed out of the room to continue his assault. The Ice Dragon Slayer rolled up his sleeves and ran after him. "I was supposed to land the first hit!"

The girls sweated as the two ganged up on Jigumo outside. "...How can they do so much for me?" Glacia questioned in amazement.

Sherry placed her hands on her hips, ignoring the sounds from the fight. "I don't even know who you are, so I couldn't possibly understand. But somehow, I do. The three of you used to be in the same guild, so they could be acting on the friendship that was there. But...we know that's not the case, is it? You're right to say that people will resent you for the events last year. That's why you want to stay in here. Not just in this hotel...but with Imperial Snow, because you know that they won't shun you. But what about outside of Imperial Snow?" The Doll Play mage stared out the doors to the balcony. "You have a brother who raised you from the dead; a guild that mourns for you; a friend who cries over you; and two men who have proved over and over that they care for you...and would gladly fight each other to the death to have you. Could such actions be done out of hate?" Sherry smiled knowingly. "No...That's love, isn't it? Even now, that is the name of the invincible wrath that fuels those two outside."

Sherry wrapped her arms around Glacia, who stiffened in surprise. "A falling star can never return to the sky, but someone will be there to catch it when it falls. Things can never go back to the way they were before...but you won't be alone as you try to make it work. So please...Even if it's just for one person, or even two—" She hugged the girl tighter. "Live on," she whispered.

Another wave of tears fell from Glacia's eye as she hugged Sherry back. "...Yes..."

Sherry pulled away and winked. "Now, why don't we go outside? I'm sure Mermaid Heel would be happy to see you."

Glacia nodded with a smile. The Lamia Scale mage grabbed the little mermaid's hand and led her out carefully in case the boys were still brawling. Thankfully, Jigumo was sprawled across the floor unconscious with Dobengal and Niebel on either side of him.

"Invincible wrath..." Glacia murmured.

Niebel looked up and noticed the brighter expression on her face. "Sissy...are you coming with us?"

The former Dragon Slayer nodded. "Of course I will."

A wide smile grew, and the Ice Dragon Slayer nearly tackled his mentor and sister hugging her. That was when Sherry took notice of Niebel's and Glacia's similarities. Right now, Glacia appeared three years older than him, but Niebel was the same height as her. Besides the hair color and length, the only things that distinguished them were Glacia's chest—which wasn't very prominent, matching her appearance—and their eyes. Though if she looked at them from a distance, they appeared as the same shade.

"That's it!" Sherry turned to Niebel. "Your room doesn't happen to be near, does it?"

The others looked at her strangely. Niebel pivoted on his toes uncertainly. "It's next door on the left."

"What's going through your head now?" the ninja asked.

"I have an idea that just might work," she replied.

Niebel opened the door to his room. Immediately, Sherry opened the closet and searched for clothes. "No, not that—wait, maybe..." She came out with a pair of dark pants identical to what Niebel was wearing, a loose light shirt, a long-sleeved navy jacket with gold buttons, husky boots, and two straw hats.

"Can you come with me for a minute?" Sherry dragged Glacia into the bathroom while the former Dragon Slayer looked at the other two for help. The boys could only stand there as Sherry did her business with her.

Two minutes later, Sherry came out with a different set of clothes and Glacia, who now looked like Niebel's twin except for the eye patch and hat.

"Your turn."

"Wait—" The Doll Play mage adjusted an eye patch over Niebel's left eye and placed the hat on his head.

"I'm impressed," the ninja admitted as he did a once-over of the 'twins'. Niebel and Glacia looked at each other.

"Your identity should be a little harder to discover—" Sherry placed a hand on the 'twin' with the gold-buttoned jacket; the one she knew was Glacia. "—if they think you're Niebel. So until we can use the fact that you're 'Glacia' as a weapon, we need to hide your ponytail and your voices."

The 'twins' nodded in agreement.

"The rest of Imperial Snow are at Domus Flau," Niebel said. "I think we can use the entrance."

* * *

Polished black shoes clicked on the tiled floor. They stumbled upon an unconscious Jigumo, before the person decided to kick him. "Wake up, slob."

Jigumo opened one eye and snorted in disgust. "Oh, it's _you._"

"I paid you to extract and kill, not to sleep around," the king's advisor sneered.

"Don't tempt me," Jigumo said darkly, standing up.

"Where's my Dragon Lacrima?" the baron demanded.

"Oh, it—" Just then, four people burst out of Niebel's room, with Niebel carrying the cocoon that held his sister's magic. Sherry pointed a finger at the fallen door. "Door Puppet!"

The wooden door came to life and advanced on Jigumo and Baron Hubert. Jigumo slammed the living door against the wall as his spiders moved across its surface. By the time the wood rotted, the quartet was gone.

"—It ran off," Jigumo finished.

The baron shrieked in rage. "We had a deal and I expected you to carry it out!" he screamed shrilly. Jigumo's hand wrapped itself around the advisor's neck.

"You really don't get it, do you, Fatnose?" Jigumo slammed the sputtering baron against the wall. "You ordered me to extract and kill; those were your only commands."


	24. Threesomes

**There was this one review that made me think a lot before I wrote this chapter.**

**Lilian062: You probably already got the PM. But your wish has been granted.**

Chapter 24

**Threesomes**

* * *

A tall, slim woman in dark clothes placed a motorcycle helmet over her head as she left the elevator. She lifted the visor a little so she could see where she was going.

"Excuse me, ma'am." She turned around and saw a bellhop looking at her disapprovingly. "Headgear needs to be off in the lobby."

The woman snorted and continued walking. "It would, but I'm not going to be in this lobby any longer than five seconds."

"If you're headed for Domus Flau, there's no use. The stadium's already full."

The woman spun on her heeled boot and lifted her helmet. "Not if I'm part of the reserve squad."

The bellhop yelped in shock, bumping into the front desk. "You...you're that chick that's supposed to be dead!"

She smirked. "Vell then, sorry to disappoint."

* * *

Jigumo put on a black leather jacket and headed out of the room. Once he locked the door, he picked up the unconscious noble and hoisted him like a potato sack. "Note to self: take a nice long shower," he muttered.

"...what?" The baron woke with a start and pounded Jigumo's back. "Unhand me, oaf! I am the king's advisor and I demand to be put down this instant!"

"Yeah? Well I'm the Imperial Guardian of the West and I order you to shut it!" The real Imperial Guardian retorted. "Otherwise, I might just let little Niebel take the lacrima for himself!"

"As if I would allow a slave brat to steal what is mine!" Hubert hissed.

"Hey, the lacrima will be with you but on one condition." Jigumo held the baron on his shoulder with one arm while the other twisted his ankle threateningly. "You will obey me now. And you will hand over all of your riches in exchange for the Dragon Lacrima."

"Why should I?"

"Hey, we could have stuck to six million Jewels if it weren't for the complainer's fee, the blackmail fee, the confidentiality fee, the usurper's fee, the personal hygeine fee—the list could go on and on! And do you have any idea how_ much_ a Dragon Lacrima is worth these days? Ten billion Jewels to an entire kingdom! And the one you ordered happens to include some other types of magic—"

"I will have your head for threatening a member of the king's court!" The baron shrilled.

"And the king will have your head for staging a coup d'état!" Jigumo snapped. "Besides, if it does work, your old fortune will seem like lunch money."

"Fine!" The advisor yelled. "But if it fails—"

"You have a less likely chance of failing, though it might become_ more_ likely if you keep complaining and I snap your neck accidentally—"

"Just hurry up and retrieve my lacrima!"

"Hey, first let's go to the bank and complete the business transaction. And one more thing..."

"And that is?"

"Take a bath!"

* * *

Sherry frowned. "Now that I think about it...those hats don't go with you guys."

Niebel and Glacia sweated comically. "You think?" Indeed, the straw hats contradicted their outfits. If it weren't for the headwear, they would pass for rich children.

"Just give me a minute, I'll fix it," she swore, looking around. It just so happened that two men were fighting near where they were standing. They were drunk and two loose wool caps lay forgotten. "Hat Dolls!"

The wool caps came to life and crawled over to them; the drunkards never noticed. Once they were close enough for Sherry to pick up, they fell limp. The 'twins' swapped the hats for the wool caps.

"That's better," Glacia mumbled as she stuffed her ponytail into the hat. Sherry noticed that the back of her neck was bare—that was where her guild mark had been.

_That's right_, the Doll Play mage remembered sadly._ Guild marks stay as long as you're a mage..._

"Are you done playing dress up, Sherry?" came an annoyed response from her guild mate.

"Hey, if men learned how important it is to be fashionable—!"

* * *

"AAAIIIIEEEEE!"

In the beginning, it was a game. Then there was a Fire Dragon Slayer chasing the unfamiliar duo of Imperial Snow. Flames streaked across the land as Natsu pursued the two. "Get back here, weirdos! I wanna ask something!"

"Who's the weird one: us running away or him chasing and asking?" The first muttered.

"I heard that!" Natsu yelled.

"Look!" The second pointed at a beacon at the top of the hill. "Our beacon!"

"Where's your Ice Dragon Slayer?" Natsu growled behind the first hacker.

"Press the button, press the button!" Hacker number one yelled.

The second hacker pressed the button that read **'X2**'.

Meanwhile, Yuka rushed away from Sting while he hauled Toby over to their beacon. Toby blew the dog whistle constantly so that the White Dragon Slayer would fall behind.

"Stupid dog whistle," Sting cursed as he held his ears.

"Sting..."

The White Dragon Slayer looked around for the source of the voice. His eyes landed on Rogue, who came toward him while leaning on his katana, then the blood on his shirt. "Dude, what happened?"

"That's the last time I'll fall for that trick," the Shadow Dragon Slayer snarled.

"He did it again?" Sting guessed, referring to Mizuno's copy of Glacia on the first day.

"Whoever you are, just answer!" Yuka slammed his fist down on the** X1** button.

At the same time, Risley, Beth, and Arania reached their team's beacon. "But...which one do we press?" Beth wondered. There were four buttons:** X1, X2, X3, and X4.**

"Who cares, just as long as we get tagged out!" Arania reached out and pushed **X2**. No longer needed to guard the beacon, Kagura went off to join the war.

"Lamia Scale, Imperial Snow, and Mermaid Heel have all called for substitutes! Who will answer the call to action?"

In another area, Lucy managed to escape Sasori until he cornered her near a tiny pond.

Sasori looked around in amusement. "Nowhere to run." Serket clicked her claws menacingly.

Right now, she was faced with a scorpion master and his pet. What the Celestial Wizard needed was an invincible wrath.

_Like an ill-tempered girlfriend worrying over Scorpio!_ Lucy thrust Aquarius' key into the water. "Open! Gate of the Water Bearer! Aquarius!"

Water sloshed out of the pond as Aquarius burst out, her urn raised above her head while her eyes flashed. "Who did that to MY man?!" she yelled.

Raising an eyebrow, Sasori jabbed a thumb towards himself. "You're that pipsqueak's girlfriend, I presume?"

_Oh dear_, Lucy sweated nervously as a vein throbbed in Aquarius' temple. "Pipsqueak?" The mermaid repeated, an eyebrow twitched. "I'll show you pipsqueak! Take this!"

Aquarius drew her urn back, a tsunami formed from the pond water as she did. The wave surged forward, consuming Sasori and his scorpion in its wake. And for once, Lucy wasn't caught in it.

"You're lucky I have Scorpio to worry about," Aquarius finally said. "I'll be going back to take care of my _boyfriend._"

"No need to rub it in," Lucy muttered as Aquarius vanished.

The ground underneath her feet erupted, and Lucy was suspended in the air by Serket the scorpion.

"You really thought a jealous girlfriend would defeat me?" Dripping wet, Sasori walked across the scorpion's back as Serket's tail swayed before Lucy's eyes. "Think again."

**Imperial Snow** 45**P**

Serket dropped Lucy's limp body. The Celestial Wizard's stomach was bruised blue where the scorpion stung her.

"Ice-Make: Mammoth!" The primordial creature reared on its legs and stomped towards Rufus, who simply put his fingers to his forehead.

"Memory-Make: Tears of the Flame Emperor!" An endless volley of fireballs attacked Lyon and his creation. The ice golem melted easily, but Lyon held his ground.

Laxus managed to find Orga, who stood back with black lightning crackling around his body. "Black lightning, huh?"

"You already know from last time—my magic kills gods," Orga sneered.

"Killing gods is nothing compared to killing fairies," Laxus smirked.

"Is that so?" Orga reached behind the boulder he stood upon and hoisted an unconscious Freed into the air. "This your guy?"

"Freed!"

**Sabertooth** 67**P**

"Prepare to bow, fairy."

"In your nonexistent dreams, tiger."

Erza wandered around until she reached a clearing. Footfalls from behind rushed towards her. The female knight turned around and saw Kagura charging at her with her hand on Archenemy.

* * *

"There's the stadium!" Sherry said as they neared the stairway.

No sooner did those words leave her lips did a man on a motorbike round the corner. In the process, he threw off another man dressed in expensive clothes.

"Hey!" But the rider payed no mind as he sped off, leaning slightly with an outstretched arm and grabbed Niebel, who held the cocooned lacrima.

"Niebel!" Glacia cried, breaking her promise to keep silent. The Ice Dragon Slayer extended an arm out to his mentor and Glacia did the same. It was like the two could reach for each other's hands from that distance.

Instantly, a gloved hand grabbed her arm and pulled her on another motorbike. This time the rider was a woman, given the black string bikini top she wore under the navy trench coat. Glacia couldn't help but notice the symbol of Mermaid Heel on the woman's arm.

Unnoticed by the two, parts of the back of Glacia's neck darkened until an insignia identical to this woman's in all but color appeared.

"Hold on!" The woman said under the helmet. She revved up the engine and sped after the rider who abducted Niebel.

"Who were those two?" Sherry wondered as the Lamia Scale duo went off in pursuit. The riders had gone off in the direction of the stairway. However, they were nowhere to be seen.

"The one that grabbed Niebel must have been Jigumo," Dobengal said, climbing the stairs. "But Glacia's safe. That woman is part of Mermaid—" He stopped abruptly.

"Yeah, Glacia's safe with that Mermaid Heel rider—" Sherry turned her head and confusion filled her. Her guild mate who was just behind her vanished.

* * *

"Ladies and gents, the first five substitutes have arrived at the scene!" Chapati exclaimed.

A magic circle appeared in front of Imperial Snow's beacon, and a motorcycle sped out of it. "Presenting Imperial Snow's Jigumo and Niebel!" The beacon exploded, having served its purpose.

"Hey!" After devouring the flames from the explosion, Natsu ran after the vehicle. "Get back here, Ice Dragon brat!"

"Oof..." Niebel was tinged green; Jigumo noticed this and chuckled. "Right, you get sick on vehicles, Nieb." Spikes formed along the wheels, allowing traction and better steering. At the same time, dirt was tossed into the air.

"Ugh!" The ninja landed roughly on the ground.

"Hey, welcome back!" Yuka greeted, extending a hand to pull his team mate up.

"Where the hell were you?" Ooba screamed.

"Like Obaba said."

"Just...tied up."

"And from the lovely mermaid sea—" The motorcycle holding the mysterious rider and Glacia burst from the magic circle gate.

"Put these on!" The woman under the helmet produced a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses from her pocket and handed them back to Glacia.

She recognized them instantly. "My sunglasses!" Glacia put them on quickly. As they sped off, Glacia's eyes locked with Risley's for a moment. The gravity mage didn't uncover her disguise, and the former Dragon Slayer almost didn't recognize the slim woman. "Risley?" she said aloud.

The same spikes that lined Jigumo's tires appeared on the female rider's tires too. With the sunglasses, dirt was unable to get into Glacia's eyes.

"Uh...Who were those two?" Chapati asked.

"They bore the symbol of Mermaid Heel; otherwise, how could they have gotten in?" Yajima pointed out.

"But the other looked like a boy," Ooba complained.

"Cross-dressing, maybe?" Chapati suggested.

"It's not too hard to put a ponytail into a hat like that," Yajima added in agreement.

Vóreia gasped. The 'boy' who rode with the female motorbike rider looked a lot like Niebel. But Niebel was with Jigumo, motion sick and holding a cocoon.

"It can't be..." Vóreia saw the mark of Mermaid Heel on the 'boy's' neck; on the same location and in the same color as Glacia's._ And it's not too hard to put a ponytail into a hat like that_, she thought, repeating Yajima's words.

"Shadow Dragon's Roar!" Dobengal leaped into the air as a violent burst of shadows shot at him. He reappeared seconds later on top of a boulder. "Rogue."

"There you are, ninja." From a dead tree's shadow, Rogue rose out of it, glaring at the ex-saber. "You still have the audacity to live?"

"I'm allowed more freedom than I would have had if I stayed," Dobengal replied.

"That's just like you, to run away then worm your way back."

"It's better than being cooped up like a caged tiger. The closest thing to freedom is just a little stroll out of the cage."

"Except you managed to break free—and you took Glacia away while you were at it," Rogue interjected.

"...You love her that much, don't you? Then you knew, just by looking at Glacia's eyes, the pain and misery that was there?"

"Oh, shut up!" The ninja vanished as curved shadows diced the boulder where he stood, before he reappeared under Rogue. Not wasting anytime, he kicked the Shadow Dragon Slayer's chin. But Rogue also caught Dobengal's ankle. "What right do you have to say Glacia's name? You're the one who murdered her in the first place!"

The ground underneath the two erupted; two pincers grabbed the two men by their ankles and hoisted them into the air. The golden scorpion rose from the dirt; on her back was Sasori, who sat back and watched the two dangle in amusement. "Ah, nothing like a fight between two guys who love the same girl to start it off. Mind if I cut in?" he asked.

Elsewhere, Laxus and Orga clashed, Lightning Dragon versus Lightning God.

"Looks like you're not all bark," Orga said.

"Where'd all that big talk go?" Laxus teased.

Orga got into a fighting stance. "I wonder..."

Laxus readied himself and snorted.

A pair of sandaled feet approached the lightning mages. "Well, well...Looks like I stumbled across a couple of heavy-weights." Jura stood before them; the two could practically feel his magic radiating from his body. "Mind if I join in? It's been quite a while since I've been able to let loose."

Orga froze in shock. "Jura of the Ten Saints!"

"Finally..." Laxus said. "I get to butt heads with a true beast."

Lyon wiped most of the sweat off his brow. "Not bad...for a guy who can't lift a finger for himself."

Rufus glowered at him. "Your magic...It's recorded in my memories. It's useless against me."

"Last year...I defeated an Ice Dragon Slayer. I bent Glacia's ice to my will. Doesn't that prove I surpassed the boundary between us?" Lyon reminded.

"Someone like you could never hope to match Sabertooth," Rufus said dismissively.

"Lyon, you bastard!" Lyon looked up in time to see Gray land beside him.

"Not you again," Rufus muttered under his breath.

"I'm kicking this guy's ass again!" Gray declared. "Stay out of it!"

A vein popped. "And WHY should I? I'm not letting Fairy Tail hog all the glory again! Let the others have screen time, so back off!" Lyon roared.

Rufus sighed tiredly. "As I still remembered, you two are such bores."

Meanwhile, Kagura and Erza fought each other with their blades. Kagura's Archenemy remained unsheathed. Erza ducked under a swing, Kagura moved out of the way and blocked Erza's slash with her blade. _She's this strong even without unsheathing her sword_, Erza thought.

A wormhole opened between the female swordsmen and two hands covered their faces. As they were pushed away, Minerva materialized from the wormhole.

"Why don't we make this a threesome?" Minerva suggested with a smirk.

"Minerva has entered the fray! All over the battlefield, it's a battle royale! Three-way battles have popped up like dandelions!"

"A chain reaction, you could say," Yajima said, "starting with those three men."

"Indeed, but among the three warriors, who will win? The gladiator of Imperial Snow; the ninja of Lamia Scale; or the knight of Sabertooth?"

"It's obviously Lamia, you dolt!" Obaba scolded.


	25. To The Victor

Chapter 25

**To The Victor**

* * *

The spiked tires of both motorcycles left trails of dust clouds in their wake. Glacia kept a hand on her hat as her guild mate switched to a speed that, had they been in Crocus, would get her a ticket.

"Warning: High speed level detected," the screen between the handles read.

The Mermaid Heel duo closed in on Jigumo, who held the motion sick Niebel captive. "Right kid, if you vant to get him, I need you to act fast!" The mystery woman commanded. She rammed her bike against Jigumo's. The spider master's vehicle veered dangerously on the uneven ground.

Underneath the helmet, Jigumo glared at the woman. "It's on, babe." With one hand, he whipped an opaque glass container out of his jacket pocket and smashed it against the other vehicle. Glass shards flew; a mechanical spider unfolded itself and crawled on the female rider's control panel.

"A jamming bug? Zat's your best, Jigumo?" The witch of Mermaid Heel swatted the mechanical bug away. But just that brief instance hijacked the vehicle's workings.

"Warning: Virus detected. Please shut down—Switching to autopilot," a mechanical voice said while the screen displayed the same message. A map layout appeared with the determined path in red—a path that would lead them straight into a cliff face.

"No, no, don't you dare!" The woman growled, but to no avail: her control over her own transport was fading. The motorcycle began to move away from Jigumo just when Glacia had a hand on Niebel's jacket.

"Niebel!" Glacia yelled. Niebel lifted his head weakly, eyes opened fully when he saw her hand extended to him as they moved away from each other. "Jump!"

Nodding, Niebel moved as fast as he could through his vehicle-induced nausea. Using the strength he could muster, Niebel pushed himself from Jigumo's motorcycle with the cocoon in his hands.

"Hey!" Jigumo made a grab for Niebel's ankle, but a dagger scratched his palm. The spider master hissed as flesh split apart. "Wait," he muttered as he looked at the mysterious woman, then at his palm. "Silver?"

But the vehicles were too far apart for Niebel to jump over to the Mermaid Heel duo; leaving the Ice Dragon Slayer to fall. However, Glacia pushed herself off and managed to catch Niebel before he hit the ground. The siblings skidded across the rough terrain and stopped against a pile of rocks.

"S-sissy," Niebel mumbled, clutching the cocoon while Glacia held him close in turn. "Why?"

"...I just couldn't let you get hurt because of me," she answered.

"There you are, bastard!" Natsu leaped towards them, only to comically halt in midair. "Wait, there are two of you—"

"You're losing your head!" Regaining temporary control of her motorcycle, the Mermaid Heel witch grabbed Natsu by his scarf and rode off with him. She quickly removed the SE plug and clamped it around Natsu's wrist. The Fire Dragon Slayer, realizing that he was on a vehicle, immediately turned green and sweated profusely.

"So there's actually a use for autopilot," the woman murmured, glancing at the determined path on the screen. "Lock mechanism activate!"

"Activating lock mechanism," the mechanized voice said. The Mermaid Heel witch jumped off as the vehicle steered itself perfectly, even with the incapacitated driver. Metal clamps circled Natsu's wrists and his ankles, ensuring that there was no chance of his escape.

"..." Both Makarov and Mavis were dumbstruck, their faces aghast at the sight of the Fire Dragon Slayer riding helplessly on a vehicle.

The woman snapped her fingers and tsked. "Ah, damn. Now I owe ze rental half a million Jewels," she muttered.

Meanwhile, Niebel had taken Glacia's hand and ran across the battlefield with her. The 'twins' avoided the other competitors, but that didn't stop Glacia from catching bits of the three-way battles. "Kagura-san," she murmured as they passed Erza, Kagura, and Minerva.

* * *

_"Kagura-san." _Kagura's ears twitched slightly, her head turned in the direction of where her name was whispered. It was so faint, like a ghost's; a voice on the wind that resembled her late comrade's voice. The female swordsman turned her attention back to her battle.

"I won't back down, regardless of who my opponent is," Erza declared.

Kagura scowled._ Erza, you who cover for Jellal even now...According to Millianna, the amount of pain he caused you...was something that should have been unforgivable. The crime of murder can never be excused._

"You've caused the pillars of my guild to become quite unsteady," Minerva informed. "In the mean time, your guilds, Erza, Kagura—"

"There's no way to tell how this will turn out," Lisanna said nervously, rubbing her arm.

Cana hiccuped, holding Warren's and Max's heads with her arms around their necks. Both men were flustered at being close to the drunk's cleavage. She lifted her alcohol bottle up, her face flushed red. "Erza losing isn't even an option!"

Elfman sweated at Cana's actions and her words. "But she is up against those two..."

"I don't even know the chicks that subbed for us, so Kagura...We're counting on you," Arania pleaded.

"She'll be okay, right?" Beth asked.

"Sorry, Vóreia," Lector apologized to his girlfriend. "But from here, I'll be cheering for my guild."

"Fro's sorry too, if it helps," Frosch added.

Vóreia smiled knowingly. "Try not to take this the wrong way, but I have no intention of cheering for Sabertooth."

"Not even for Rogue's battle? After all, he's facing_ him_."

The split-tailed Exceed sighed. "Okay, maybe I _might_."

"Try and desperately claw your way back to the top of the food chain, I'll make sure your delusions of grandeur end here."

"You talk too much," Erza commented.

"Enough chit chat," Kagura decided, eyes closed. The faint whisper on the wind still rang through her mind. "Come."

The women glared at each other, determined to rise victorious, each with their own reason for doing so. The audience watched them with bated breath; Fairy Tail stood apprehensively in their balcony; Vóreia stood on one side of Frosch and Lector another; Arania and Beth observed the three elite women size each other up.

Without warning, the women ran at each other. Erza held her swords so that the blades pointed out; Kagura kept a pommel on Archenemy; Minerva with an arm spread out. Her hand enveloped in wave-like material, she halted Kagura's blade in its path. At the same time, one of Erza's swords struck against Archenemy. As they clashed, their magic radiated from their bodies and created a massive shockwave, damaging everything around them.

They all pulled back; Erza followed up with a slash to Minerva and a strike to Kagura. Her adversaries blocked her attacks. "Hm..." Minerva waved one of her arms towards the female knight.

"Uwah!" Minerva sent Erza flying back with her magic. Kagura moved out of the way and delivered a kick to Minerva's head. Mermaid Heel's S-Class glanced back in time to see Erza flip in midair into a crouching position. Using one of her swords as a pole, she landed a flying sidekick to Kagura's face. The force of her kick sent her flying across the terrain with Erza in pursuit. Kagura stopped herself by pushing off the ground and rolling into a crouching position. The female knight soared past her and crashed against a tree.

A hand appeared in front of Kagura's face; magic engulfed her as Minerva sent a blast at her. Much of the earth around Kagura was destroyed.

Minerva turned her head to see Erza above her. "I see—You-!" she finished in surprise as Kagura rammed her sword into Minerva's side. Erza kicked both feet down on Kagura, who took most of the damage.

Minerva clenched her left hand so that only the index and middle fingers were pointing at her right palm. She opened her fingers in a "V" formation. "Ih Ragdo." Bubble-like formations trapped Kagura and Erza, restraining their movements. "Niel Wielg Mion Terse Elcantaeus," she chanted, moving her arms in a circular motion.

"That spell—it can't be—Yakuma's spell of the Eighteen Combat Gods?!" Mavis cried.

Minerva spread her arms wide as she finished, "Yagdo Rigora!" A god-like entity with intricate designs on its body appeared before her. A pillar of light climbed up to the sky, destroying the battlefield the three women occupied. Spectators and judges were astonished by the resulting damage. Even the other remaining competitors stopped what they were doing.

"What was that?" Gajeel wondered, staring off in the direction of the light.

"A mage capable...to that extent..." Jura said, knowing that the caster was a threat.

"That's our lady for ya," Orga informed smugly.

Niebel and Glacia stopped in their tracks. "That's where Kagura-san is," Glacia murmured worriedly.

"We need to move!" Niebel pulled Glacia forward as a wave struck the place where they once stood.

"Kagura-san..." Glacia looked back at the fading light pillar. "Please be okay."

"Get back here!" Yuka yelled, thrusting his palm forward. "Wave Rush!"

The "twins" avoided the wave in time; Sting climbed up the hill where the three stood, only to almost run into a large concave mass of magic. Sting dodged it in time, glaring at the Wave.

"Uh, nice weather today, don't you agree?" The Wave said nervously, backing away while the Dragon Slayer stomped forward.

"No doggy whistle to save you this time," Sting taunted, cracking his knuckles.

"Oh, great, why didn't I take Toby's dog whistle when he swapped out?" Yuka cursed himself for not taking the instrument when he had the chance.

The roar of an engine broke the tension. Yuka and Sting looked in time to see Natsu strapped to an autopilot motorcycle. The vehicle rammed into Yuka; the impact tossed the blue-haired man against a boulder, hard enough to knock him out.

**Fairy Tail A** 48**P**

"Uh...Somehow, Natsu of Fairy Tail A, while trapped on a vehicle, has defeated Yuka of Lamia Scale!" Chapati sweated, practically feeling Ooba's annoyance radiating.

"We should get him checked out later, shouldn't we?" Yajima added.

"Yuka...what...was.._.that_?" Ooba grumbled.

Sting stared after the vehicle-grounded Natsu. "Hah! You look so pathetic, Natsu-san!"

As the dust dispersed, everyone could see that Erza and Kagura still stood. Their clothes were torn, but other than some minor scrapes and bruises, they were okay.

"I don't believe it! They're unfazed!" The judges nearly toppled in their seats, all with matching shocked expressions; the hair on Chapati's wig stood up straight, Yajima's chef hat fell off, and Ooba's hair began to escape her bun.

"What's with those three?"

"That's beyond amazing, it's like...out of this world!"

"This is so sick!"

"They're evenly matched," Ren said.

"For now," Hibiki finished.

"I see...I didn't fathom that the two of you were so...durable," Minerva said simply. She tossed away her feather boa, her right hand enveloped in a glob of magic. "Allow me to make things more...entertaining." The glob expanded; writhing in pain inside the glob was Millianna. "I caught a stray kitten just now!" she boasted.

"Millianna!" Her adversaries shouted.

"Look at her whimpering in agony. Within this space, her magic is continuously drained," she explained smugly.

"That's so dirty!" Arania yelled furiously.

"Spare me the rage. She serves no purpose as a hostage. I did say I wanted to make things more interesting, did I not?"

Erza and Kagura glared at Minerva angrily. The tigress' face darkened as well. "There are the faces I've waited to see."

* * *

Rogue caught the familiar scent of mint on the wind. A scent that belonged to her. However, the scorpion master gave him a look as if allowing him to pursue the aroma.

"You caught Princess Glaciana's scent, didn't you?" Sasori smiled. "Why don't you go after her?"

The Shadow Dragon Slayer laughed softly. "You think I'll fall for that trick again? Obviously it's Niebel using something that belonged to Glacia, and once I give chase, I'll be ambushed."

The scorpion master smirked. "Good nose," he praised.

_Something's up_, Dobengal thought_. Just what did they do?_

Chapati pulled on his tie. "The tension is building."

"Quite uncomfortably," Yajima added.

"Lamia Scale will climb to the top, just watch," Ooba said.

"Going to the Gladiator-Ninja-Knight brawl, what are the pros and cons against each man?" Chapati asked.

"With Sasori, the odds are mostly against him," Yajima commented. "Dobengal and Rogue were former comrades of the same guild until the latter left, so there's a chance that they might corner Sasori."

"However, those two hate each others' guts, so they will not," Ooba interjected. "Now Dobengal, on the other hand, was a former member of Imperial Snow and Sabertooth. Therefore, he knows every weakness they have. Like the fact that Rufus couldn't take a punch," she added.

"But it's been a year since he left Sabertooth, and nearly eight when he left Imperial," Yajima cut in. "Things might have changed drastically."

"Now for Rogue, it's almost the same as Sasori. Just like how Imperial and Lamia know each others' weak spots, the same applies for Saber and Lamia," Chapati stated.

Sasori chuckled to himself. "You guys have me at quite the disadvantage. Not only am I running low on magic but—" With a sweep of his cape, three items fell to the ground: a needle filled with poison, a tiny glass bottle filled with even smaller orbs, and a _dog whistle_? Serket the scorpion vanished at her master's command. "I'm even unarmed," he finished with a smile. "This should be a sufficient handicap for that arm of yours, right?"

Ooba fumed. "Mocking us, eh?"

"You're bluffing," Dobengal accused.

"Say, did you say hi to Glacia's corpse earlier?" Sasori teased.

Lector sweated. Somewhere else, Jigumo laughed hysterically. "My brother, you are a genius."

Rogue fell for Sasori's bait. As he zeroed in on the scorpion master, his fist passed through Sasori's body while a foot kicked Rogue's back.

"Wh-what was that?" Chapati exclaimed. "Best known for his speed and control of shadows, Rogue is overwhelmed by Sasori!"

Rogue tried to get up; as he pushed himself off against a boulder, the tip of Sasori's poisoned needle touched his neck.

"It took one second for you to take the bait," Sasori explained smoothly. "Another second, and you began to run. Three seconds later, you reached me. By the time you prepared to attack, six seconds had passed. More than enough time enough for me to make a counter attack, wouldn't you agree?"

* * *

"Ice-Make: Yeti!" A large humanoid hominid lumbered towards Rufus. It raised its bulky fists as if to bring them down—if a cannon blast didn't decimate the ice golem.

Lyon's eyes flashed dangerously. "I warned you, Gray, stay out of my way!"

"Yeah right, and let you have all the glory?" Gray shot. "Ice-Make: Freeze Lancer!"

Lamia Scale's resident ice mage dodged each ray with ease. "Coming from a guy who gets too much screen time half-naked, I have every right to beat this guy to a pulp! Ice-Make: Snow Tiger!"

Nothing happened, even as Lyon's magic circle appeared before him. Gray snickered. "That was it?"

Rufus brought a hand to mouth as he chuckled. "Listen to you two, yapping like dogs." He put his fingers to his temples. "But even a mutt knows its place before a wolf. Memory-Make: Tears of the Northern Empress!" Large icicles rained down on the ice mages; each icicle was sharpened to a razor edge.

"Ice-Make: Shield!" The ice mages created their individual defenses to protect themselves, but the barriers did little to endure the sharp ice.

Even Lyon couldn't dodge the hailstorm from hell summoned by Rufus. Lyon and Gray danced on their toes as they tried to avoid getting skewered. "That's it, dance the whirling gavotte of agony," Rufus said with a sly smile. "And to keep you spinning on your feet; Memory-Make: A Night of Falling Stars!"

The sky turned dark as endless rays of light scattered across the field where Lyon and Gray continued to pirouette for their lives. Neither of them could spin out of the way without a scratch of some sort.

A low growl made itself known behind Rufus. The memory wizard spun around in time to see an ice tiger lunge for him. Rufus jumped as the ice golem tried to bite his ankle. "Where did that come from?"

"Surprised?" Lyon said with a smirk.

Rufus' eyes widened in realization as the memory of Lyon's 'failed' creation played before his eyes. "You!"

"_Me._ Ice-Make: Dog Pile!" Wolves, foxes, canine creatures of all kinds pounced on Rufus. "AAHHH!"

When the canine pack retreated, Rufus was nothing more than a man in shredded clothes. His hat somehow remained intact.

**Lamia Scale** 44**P**

"Lyon, you slanty-eyed bastard! That guy was supposed to be mine!" Gray hissed.

The Lamia Scale wizard only offered a mocking grin. "Jealous much?"

Elsewhere, Chelia sent a kick boosted with Sky God Slayer Magic towards Risley. "Sorry."

"Don't underestimate Mermaid Heel!" were Risley's last words as she was forced out of the game.

**Lamia Scale** 45**P**

* * *

"In here!" Niebel found a crevice between boulders that could serve as a cave. The 'twins' squeezed in with ease, but the cocoon reluctantly passed through.

Glacia leaned against a wall within the grotto as she held her head. "I...I don't get it...Niebel, what made Imperial Snow change so much? The guardians were never cruel like this!"

Niebel sat across from her. "Sissy...You're wrong. No one in Imperial Snow has changed. The Imperial Guardians were always like that. You're the one that's different now."

The former Dragon Slayer stared at her successor in disbelief. "Huh?"

"It's true, you look different; you speak differently; you can't use magic anymore; but your personality changed the most."

"But I—"

"It must be from your time in the dead world; or maybe it's because your magic was removed," he continued. "Because, Sissy, you used to be just like the other Imperial Guardians. Cruel like Jigumo; relentless as Sasori; independent, calculating, deceptive—back then you had all the traits that made an Imperial Guardian. In fact, you even told that's how you were before you became an Imperial—before you ever took me in!"

"If you agree that the Imperial Guardians are brutal—even me—then you have changed, Sissy!" Niebel said with a smile.

"Ah..." Glacia slid down the wall as she took in Niebel's words. "Or maybe...my exposure to the other side made me realize my actions when I lived before. I hated this world from the day I was born. Hated the dragon that raised me; despised the parents that gave me life; honestly, I still abhor this world. I want nothing more than to return to my eternal rest."

"Sissy...You said to Vóreia once that if you had to be a star, you'd be the Phoenix. So that you'd be reborn again. Was that...Was that a lie?"

Glacia stared at the ground. "At the time...I don't think it was. But as life went on, it just felt like the world was against me. As a Dragon Slayer, people expected me to be strong. But most of the time, they couldn't see me as anything but like the dragon I was raised by. The only thing that kept me going were the people that I might leave behind if I caved in. So I wished that if the gods were so cruel as to reincarnate me, I would be anything but what I was then."

Niebel set the cocoon in the middle of the cave. "I was not raised by a dragon, so those are not my feelings," he said. "However, I can understand why Sissy would think that. My father sold me into slavery after my mother died from childbirth. I lived part of my childhood in a diamond mine; working for days on end, lucky if I even had a bite to eat. But that never stopped me from hoping for something better. Sissy was the light that saved me! Not including me, is there anyone so precious to you, that you wonder how you ever lived without them?"

Glacia remained silent in thought as she pondered over Niebel's question. "...Yes."

Niebel nodded with an understanding smile. "Then to you, that person is your light. You shouldn't give up your life for anything else!"

The cave shook; Niebel and Glacia looked at the crevice in alarm. "It's too dangerous here," Niebel said. Moving quickly, he grabbed the cocoon. He looked at his sister with a sad look. "They'll expect the Lacrima with me. Sasori knows I wouldn't put you in danger."

"And what makes you think I would allow you to come into harm's way?" Glacia put a hand on the cocoon. "A Lacrima always radiates magic of some kind. If I have the Dragon Lacrima, the stored magic will radiate. With all that magical aura, even Avian won't be able to tell who's who!"

"Sissy...you're going to take the Lacrima with you?" Niebel asked, fearing for Glacia's life. It was bad enough when he lost her once, but a _second_ time...

Glacia gave Niebel a smile as sad as his own. "Niebel...cut the cocoon open."

Niebel shook his head. "I will not."

* * *

"Those expressions are quite delicious," Minerva said.

"Release Millianna," Kagura spat through gritted teeth.

"It's time I show you how a real king fights," the tigress continued, ignoring Kagura's demands.

"I will not repeat this again: Release my comrade while you can still breathe," Kagura threatened as she got into a stance.

"By all means, _try it_," Minerva sneered.

Kagura was more than willing to do so as she appeared before Minerva in the blink of an eye. _So fast!_ Erza thought in amazement.

"You shall be the second tiger I devour." Kagura swung her sword towards Minerva.

"I do hope this one tastes better than your last." At the last second, Minerva's form flickered and Erza took her place. Both women were surprised, but Kagura's blade was already in motion. And she had no intention of stopping it.

Erza quickly blocked her strike. The audience was stunned as Minerva now sauntered away from the two.

_She switched places?_ Kagura thought.

_I got switched in?_ Erza wondered.

"Why don't you two claw each others eyes out? The victor can become my prey." Minerva sent Millianna away with a wave of her arm.

"How shameful. You were the outsider in our fight to begin with," Erza snapped, struggling against Archenemy.

"Pulling the strings and moving others to your whim—that is what defines a king," Minerva informed. "You should be honored. Even someone as heralded as me would be fortunate to leave unscathed if I took you both on. I just paid you both a compliment."

"Remember this: A king must win using all means necessary."

"Give Millianna back!" Erza screamed at her. Kagura twitched, giving Erza a dark look.

"Don't you dare..." Kagura said dangerously. Erza looked at her in surprise, wondering what had gotten into her when Kagura pushed her back. "Don't you dare act like her friend!"

"It seems you two need to get reacquainted," Minerva jeered. "I'll leave you be."

"Enough!" Kagura whipped her head around. "I shall accept your conditions! Release Millianna at once!"

"It seems she got the best of us," Erza said.

Kagura looked at her with deadly eyes as an ominous aura surrounded her. "I'll strike you down first...then I'll devour the tiger-lady."

* * *

_His presence is suffocating_, Laxus thought. The Lightning Dragon Slayer could still feel Jura's power radiating.

The staring contest broke when Orga focused all his attention on the Wizard Saint. "I'd like to see what a serious Jura is capable of."

"Ah," was all the Wizard Saint said.

"Will you take my frontal assault head on?" Orga wondered, black sparks forming around his hands. "Mr. Wizard Saint—think what you have what it takes to block this?!"

"I guess we'll find out," Jura said simply; Orga smirked.

_A pathetic attempt at misdirection,_ Laxus thought.

"Lightning God's Charged Particle Cannon!" Orga shot an enormous bean of black lightning at Jura. The blast vaporized an entire hill behind Jura, but that hadn't been his intended target. Laxus blinked, and Jura was in front of Orga. Jura punched Orga's forehead. The God Slayer's smashed into the ground, dirt flying into the air.

Laxus and the crowd at Domus Flau watched in shock as the dirt and grit cleared away. Orga lay motionless on the ground, blood leaking from his nose. The only person who wasn't fazed by this was a proud Ooba Babasaama.

**Lamia Scale** 46**P**

"I had you analyzed when you fought last year," Jura said. "This was all that was needed to put you to sleep."

"That guy's a beast!"

"To one shot Orga like that!"

"This...won't end well for us," Makarov gasped, his eyes wide. Even Mavis couldn't speak.

The Thunder God Tribe had much to protest for their leader. "For shame, master!" Evergreen scolded.

"Put your faith in Laxus! We have!" Freed yelled.

"To think that about your own grandson," Bickslow added.

* * *

"Now..." Sasori jumped back so that he was several meters from Rogue. The gladiator spread his arms out. "Would you like to try again?"

Gritting his teeth, Rogue ran right at the smug gladiator. He brought his arm forward, wrapped in shadows. But his attack passed through Sasori's body. The scorpion master vanished from his line of attack so that Rogue was now running at his new opponent. And Rogue had no absolutely intention of stopping. Quickly, Dobengal leaped back from Rogue, who followed in hot pursuit.

Sasori laughed as he began to walk away from the battle. "Pent up rage and despair overrules rational thinking, don't you agree?"

"Why did you even bother to interfere when you had no intention of fighting in the first place?" the ninja yelled at Sasori.

"Oh, I have every intention of fighting you—_one_ of you at least." The scorpion master glanced back. "I want the blood of the loser spilled on this very land. Only then will I deem you fit to fight me: the most powerful wizard to ever grace Imperial Snow."

"You sound like Jigumo."

Sasori shrugged nonchalantly. "You killed once, I have faith that you can do it again. Rogue, however...I give you my prayers, old friend."

"I'll give you more than blood." Sasori looked at Rogue, who wore a murderous look while black scale-like designs decorated his skin. "I'll give you a head," he hissed.

Sasori smiled. "Don't disappoint me then, Rogue Cheney." With that, he teleported to the top of a high cliff that overlooked Dobengal and Rogue's battle. He pressed a finger to his forehead. "Jigumo, Avian, Mizuno: Have you located the Lacrima?"

His eyes widened at the response he received. "Wait...What did you say?"

"A-actually..." Avian swallowed.

* * *

Niebel poked his head out of the crevice before he booked it, holding the cocoon close to him.

Five minutes later, Glacia climbed out of the crevice. Keeping a hand on her hat and pulling her gold-buttoned jacket closer, the former Dragon Slayer ran in the opposite direction of Niebel.

"Niebel has the Lacrima with him; he's trying to get us to go for him instead of Glacia," Mizuno reported.

Sasori rested his head in his hands. "You're so predictable, Niebel Glacien."

"Hey, Earthland to Sasori, can you hear me?" Jigumo's voice yelled in his head.

"Shut up," Sasori muttered, contemplating the situation. "Ignore Glacia for now. Retrieve the Dragon Lacrima, but by no means are you to kill Niebel."

Meanwhile, Glacia tried her best to avoid confrontations, all while keeping her hat on. She stopped and hid behind a large boulder; she had just spotted Mirajane and Juvia.

The Fairy Tail women hadn't spotted her. Glacia sighed silently.

"Aha." Glacia jolted as she came face-to-face with Sting. "So you're the mermaid who dresses like a guy. But...you seem kinda funny." Sting took a deep whiff. "You've been trying to hide your own scent with a guy's. White hair and blue eyes...and you seem determined to keep that hat on."

The White Dragon Slayer smirked. "You know, it'd be kinda funny if your full name just _happened_ to be _Glaciana Patin Laviné."_


	26. Over The Edge

Chapter 26

**Over The Edge**

* * *

"Sabertooth's Sting just spoke—or did he mouth something?" Chapati asked abruptly.

"It's hard to tell."

Lector looked at Vóreia and Frosch questioningly. "Did either of you catch what Sting-kun said?"

Vóreia frowned and shook her head. "Something must be up with the Lacrima Vision."

"Fro thinks so too," Frosch said.

High above them, two members of Imperial Snow typed away at a Surveillance Lacrima. "Those poor suckers," Hacker One snickered. "The things that are possible through Illusion Magic."

"Hijacking the Lacrima Vision Camera isn't an easy feat," Hacker Two agreed. "But it helps that we released a camera of our own into the fray, making it so that it sends a signal that disrupts the other visual lacrima. So the only ones who know what's really going on behind the scenes is us."

"Even now, the Magic Council is trying to figure out how Cobra of Oración Seis was murdered in his cell."

* * *

A blue eye widened in shock, something that did not pass the White Dragon Slayer's sight. His eyebrows shot up. "Wait, unless...You_ are_?"

Glacia shook her head profusely, both hands pulling her cap down. Sting smirked. "Give it up. I know it's you, Glacia."

His hand grabbed the top of Glacia's cap, but her strong grip prevented Sting from removing the headgear entirely.

Two shots rang through the war zone; two bullets zipped past and grazed Sting's gloved hand. The Dragon Slayer hissed, releasing the cap so he could nurse his hand. The cap remained crumpled from where Sting grabbed it. "Where the hell—?" A third bullet exploded at his feet, forcing him to jump back. Sting's eyes found the source of the bullets: The mysterious Mermaid Heel witch masked by a motorcycle helmet. The dark visor blocked any clue of her appearance.

The woman pointed a pistol at Sting, and the White Dragon Slayer couldn't help but feel like he'd seen that gun from somewhere.

Glacia recognized an opening when given to her. She ran away from the two, fixing her hat along the way. She looked back and waved her right hand at the mysterious Mermaid Heel witch as if to say thank you. The woman simply gave her a thumbs-up. But then she frowned, something that went unnoticed by Sting and the audience because of the helmet.

* * *

Niebel's feet pounded against the rough terrain. He glanced back, panicking when he spotted the other Imperial Guardians in hot pursuit. His breath came out in short pants; he was tired, but he couldn't allow the Dragon Lacrima to come into their possession. Not after the way they tricked Niebel into cooperating.

"Ahem." Avian appeared before him, blocking his path. Niebel tried to backtrack, only to find that Jigumo blocked his rear.

"Niebel, Niebel," Mizuno sighed tiredly. The other Imperial Guardians managed to surround the mutinous Imperial Guardian in a triangular formation. "Why did you have to do this? We were going to keep our word; we were going to leave a piece of Glacia's corpse for you to bury."

Niebel glowered at Mizuno in disgust but said nothing.

"Hey pretty boy, you're not helping the situation," Jigumo called.

"At least I'm not the one who went and ruined her eye," the mirror mage shot.

"Oh hush," Avian bristled. "Niebel," he said gently, trying to ease the rising tension by some degree. "Try to understand why we had to resort to this. We had no choice: that kind of magic would destroy a normal mage from the inside within days. It's a wonder how Glacia managed to keep it in for years until she finally snapped. Her previous life proves that."

This time, Niebel held Avian's gaze. Still, no words came from his mouth.

Avian sighed. "I know. You're so angry with us, you don't even want to speak. But when we revived her, didn't you swear to keep her safe from everything that threatened to hurt her? Was that not the reason, no matter how much she longed for it, we kept her inside, safe from the dangers of the outside world? And we actually let her out for fresh air, weren't you the one that accompanied her so nothing would happen?"

Niebel stared at the ground, unable to meet Avian's eyes. The other Imperial Guardians shared a look with each other, both thinking that they had Niebel cornered.

* * *

**_~Flashback~_**

_"Are you kidding me?" Jigumo slammed his palm on the polished wood table._

_"That is mahogany, I'll have you know!" A hotel worker cried in protest._

_"And this is a banana spider, I'll have you know!" Jigumo threatened to fling Olivia across the room, but the employee scurried away. He turned his attention back to Niebel. "Every other day she wanted to go outside, but on the one day that we let her, she refuses?"_

_"But...Sissy was crying," Niebel mumbled._

_Mizuno frowned, turning his head towards Avian. "Wouldn't that mean last year's memories are finally returning?" he inquired._

_"Yes...but something bothers me." Avian sipped his tea as calmly as he could. "Before we came here under the guise of a subdivision, Princess Glacia's memories were incomplete, but she was content. If her memories are restored now, then just being here in Crocus must have been the catalyst."_

_"That's not surprising," Sasori deduced. "After all, this is the place where she died."_

_"...I can hear them."_

_"Excuse me?"_

_Niebel raised his head, eyes flaring. "I know what they're saying about Sissy in the city. They're saying that she's a cold-hearted murderer. But if she's a killer, then what does that make them?"_

_"...Imbeciles," Jigumo snorted. "So you're saying that the princess doesn't want to go outside because of public opinion."_

_"No," Niebel said bluntly. His hands balled up into fists. "Not just that...but them."_

_"'Them?'" Mizuno repeated curiously. "Who, Mermaid Heel?"_

_"You self-centered idiot!" He growled. Niebel slammed his fist on the table, causing Mizuno and Avian to flinch back into their seats. The polished wood furniture split in two; frost formed where his clenched hand struck. Jigumo looked at Sasori, whose eyes displayed relish at the scene._

_"Are you enjoying this?" Jigumo asked incredulously._

_"I hope you're going to pay for that table!" The employee from before shrilled. "That was mahogany!"_

_"I hope you can pay for a funeral! This is a banana spider!" Jigumo mimed launching Olivia at the man._

_"Why would I refer to Sissy's guild?" Niebel yelled furiously. "Vóreia rejected Sissy! I know what will happen if I let her out! He'll hurt Sissy!"_

_"He?" Avian questioned tentatively, not wanting to incur Niebel's anger._

_"He's the one who will hurt Sissy the most once she steps foot outside," Niebel snarled._

* * *

Niebel shook his head slowly, uncertainty in his eyes. Avian frowned. "Now you're uncertain of your own words? But you said it with so much conviction last week." Even so, Niebel made a sign of disagreement.

"Hey, let me try, Airhead." Avian shot Jigumo a dirty look while the spider master took the lead. "Okay, so I get that you hate me because I injured Glacia, but it's not like Sasori didn't do the same. Besides, those will be the only wounds she has to take if she returns to us! You said it yourself, Nieb! She'll hurt more just by being out here! All because of him!"

"…" Niebel met Jigumo's mismatched eyes, confusion and doubt evident in that visible blue eye.

"So what do you say, Nieb?" Jigumo stretched an arm out to Niebel; his hand waited for Niebel to place the cocoon in it. "Give us the Dragon Lacrima, and we'll let you off with a slap on the wrist. We'll even protect Glacia for the rest of this game."

A blue eye narrowed in distrust. Shifting the cocoon around so that he held it under his arm, Niebel lifted his left fist and stuck his pinky up. Mizuno raised his eyebrows while Jigumo sighed. "Yes, I swear by my pinky," he said, copying the young Imperial Guardian's actions.

Keeping eye contact with Jigumo, Niebel took one step closer, then another. When he was a foot away, he stopped. The Imperial Guardian of the West raised a questioning eyebrow. Niebel raised himself on his toes; that's when Jigumo remembered that Niebel barely came up to his navel. So Jigumo bent his knees so that he could be level with Niebel.

Niebel took another tentative step forward, holding the cocoon out. Just before it could pass into Jigumo's hand, Niebel hurled it over his head.

"What the—?" The Imperial Guardian of the North clambered onto Jigumo's shoulders and launched himself into the air. As he landed beside the cocoon, Niebel hurriedly grabbed the woven shell and dashed off, fixing the cap.

"...We taught that boy too well," Avian commented.

"...Was it just me, or did Niebel seem a bit fishy?" Mizuno asked. "Not once did he say a word and he used his left hand to make the pinky promise."

The Imperial Guardian of the East waved a hand dismissively. "He had no choice. Niebel used his right arm to hold the cocoon, remember?"

"Yes, but Niebel's right-handed. And Princess Glacia always uses her left hand," Mizuno pointed out.

"Airhead, will you explain to Pretty Boy why—no matter what hand Niebel uses to pinky swear—it's still Niebel," Jigumo barked.

Avian huffed angrily at Jigumo's nickname for him but complied. He opened his mouth—

_'You idiots!'_ The three Imperial Guardians flinched when an angry voice ripped through their thoughts. '_Can't you see they're trying to confuse us? The boy you just let get away was clearly Niebel!'_

"You sure about that?" Mizuno said gingerly, rubbing his temples.

_'Glacia's left-handed, but only Niebel would instigate something so simple as a pinky promise!'_ Sasori chided. _'__Clearly he was trying to trick us, hoping we would be so thick as to believe that he was Glacia. But he forgot that Glacia kept pinky oaths, never starting them!'_

"Niebel Glacien..." Jigumo twitched irritably, his hands flexing like he was itching to strangle someone. "You do realize—this means war!"

* * *

Laxus and Jura sized each other up, with the latter wondering if he could survive against the Wizard Saint after witnessing how easily he defeated the Lightning God Slayer.

Ooba Babasaama smiled, her wrinkles etched with pride as she spun her index fingers around. "Time to throw in the towel, Makarov. During your guild's seven-year absence, Jura has risen to the fifth most powerful mage of the Ten Wizard Saints."

Makarov's head grew in size as he yelled, "I have complete faith that Laxus will defeat Jura, Ooba!"

"Er, yes, that is true," Chapati said. "But don't forget that Jura is a shadow compared to the four above him."

A vein throbbed in Ooba's temple as she pointed her finger at Chapati and spun him furiously. "You shall refrain from speaking their names or you'll spin in the corner!"

"Eh?!"

Ooba regained her composure and added, "Those four from Ishval are like deities. It's not fair to compare any mortal to them. There's no shame in Jura being the most powerful human of the Ten Wizard Saints."

"An all-out match with you is something I have looked forward to for quite some time," the Wizard Saint said, turning his attention to the lightning mage. "Makarov-dono's—"

"Whoa whoa whoa." Laxus shrugged off his fur-lined coat and let it fall around his feet. "Stop right there. At this very moment, you're not some geezer with a pretentious title...and I'm not anyone's grandson," he said, meeting Jura's eyes. "We're just two men."

Jura smiled. "Your eyes speak volumes."

Laxus stood back, lightning crackling around him. Suddenly, he surged forward, as fast as the element he was surrounded in. But just as fast, Jura delivered a hand chop to the back of Laxus' head. The earth cracked, tiny bits of dirt flew as he hit the ground. The crowd and Fairy Tail gasped, shell-shocked at the sight of Laxus struck down by Jura.

"One...shotted...again..." Chapati collapsed in his chair as Ooba stopped spinning him, but he was so unbalanced, his chair toppled over, with him in it.

"I am without speech," Yajima admitted.

"That's Jura," Ooba declared with glee. "The pride of Lamia Scale."

"The world is a vast place," Jura said to his immobile adversary. "And there is always someone higher up on the food chain."

"...No shit," Laxus grunted as he got back up, much to the surprise of Jura. "But if you get too complacent standing on that perch—" Suddenly, Laxus jumped to his feet and delivered a sharp uppercut to his chin, making Jura fall back. "The hunter becomes the hunted!"

"WHAT?!" Ooba Babasaama yelled, her eyes bulging out in shock.

"No way..." Yuka gasped, utterly fazed by the fact that anyone could stand against Jura.

"Jura's being pushed back," Sherry breathed.

"Ooh!" Fairy Tail cheered, feeling the odds turn for them.

"Go, Laxus!" Evergreen screamed.

"YEAH!" Freed yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Get some!" Bickslow cheered.

Jura turned his head, a smirk on his face as he landed on his feet. Seemingly unaffected by the hit, the Wizard Saint threw off his coat too.

This would not end well.

* * *

"Sky God's Boreas!" Niebel rushed out of the way as black wind flew his way. Chelia glared at Niebel as she floated down. "You are the one who mocked Wendy!"

Niebel held up a finger, requesting a moment when Chelia sent more black wind at him. He hugged the cocoon close with his right arm as he placed his left hand on the cap. But the God Slayer's attacks pushed him back until they knocked him off his feet. His back hit the surface of a rock as Chelia advanced on the Imperial Guardian.

"Anyone who hurts my friends has to answer to me!" Chelia shouted. "Sky God's Bellow!"

A black tornado burst out of Chelia's mouth. Niebel couldn't avoid it in time, forcing him to take the full brunt of Chelia's attack. The wind kicked up a dust cloud on impact.

"What's going on? Niebel, the overconfident Dragon Slayer who handled Wendy-tan with ease, can't lift a finger before Chelia-tan! Chelia-tan, make sure to teach him a lesson!" Chapati added, eyes burning with a fire.

"Well, Niebel is a Dragon Slayer while Chelia's a God Slayer," Yajima pointed out. "There's a vast gap in their abilities. But I don't think it's because he can't attack. More like he_ won't_ attack. It might have something to do with the object he's holding."

"Show him no mercy, Chelia!" Ooba ordered, spinning her finger in circles at the Lacrima Vision.

The hackers looked at each other in panic. "Oh no, weren't we supposed to omit the cocoon?"

"We can't omit it now, it'll raise too many eyebrows," Hacker Two interjected. "On the other hand...the master will not be happy with us."

The dust cloud cleared, revealing Niebel, who stood with scrapes around his ankles and his clothes tattered in some places. The cocoon and—strangely—the hat remained perfectly intact.

"What's the matter?" Chelia challenged. "Having second thoughts about hurting a girl?"

* * *

"And here I was, thinking I could avoid Obaba's punishment if I lost," the ninja sighed as he reached into his side bag and pulled out a small figurine half the size of his thumb and a smoke bomb.

"It's better to face things head on," Rogue smirked.

"Yes."

The former guild mates stared each other down. Rogue looked like he was thinking of the different ways he could murder his opponent. Feet kicked against the ground, and the two went at it. Rogue sent an uppercut at Dobengal, only for the latter to block it.

"Rogue seems to hold some sort of grudge against Dobengal," Yajima said to Ooba. "Do you know why?"

"I might, but not for one second do I want this to go public. I don't want Lamia Scale to be famous for some triangle," the old lady grumbled. She pulled Yajima aside, away from the microphones. "Lyon and Chelia said that he used to like this girl from Mermaid Heel, only she didn't return his feelings. However, the girl liked that Saber my ninja's fighting with, and the Saber liked her back."

"Ah." Yajima nodded in understanding. "So it's a simple fight between unrequited and returned love."

Ooba snorted as they took their seats again. "You say simple...however, the look in their eyes tell another story."

"Give it up!" Rogue shouted as they pulled themselves up. "You know you don't stand a chance with that arm!"

"That's why I have this!" Dobengal tossed the figurine into the space between them. The figurine glowed brightly, and it grew in size. Within seconds, an iron giant armed with a sword and shield stood before Rogue. Five translucent lines of light jutted from its back, leading back to its caster.

"Now that's something I haven't seen since your former days in Sabertooth," Rogue noted with distaste. "The Puppeteer."

The puppet giant raised its sword and swung it down; the force of the action was enough to force Rogue back. The Shadow Dragon Slayer gritted his teeth. "Shadow Dragon's Slash!" The giant blocked his spell with its shield, but Rogue did manage to dent it. The puppet advanced on him and used its shield to send Rogue crashing against a large tree. Rogue glared at Dobengal; there was no way he would allow an ex-saber to overpower him.

**You pathetic excuse of a Dragon Slayer!** A voice scolded Rogue. Confused, the Shadow Dragon Slayer looked around for the source of the voice. Not for a second did he believe it to be his opponent's nor Sasori's. **You're actually letting this failure of a mage put you to shame? Are you forgetting what he did to Glacia Patin?**

His hands balled into fists. "I haven't forgotten, but if you would be so kind as to reveal yourself—"

**Down here, fool! You look like an idiot talking to yourself!** The voice chided. Rogue took a careful look at the ground. What he saw almost made him jolt in surprise: His own shadow reflected his actions, a red eye identical to his own on the right side of the shadow's "face" watched him carefully. **There you go. It's me, your shadow!**

Rogue nearly gaped at his shadow. "What are you?"

**Easy**, his shadow smirked. **I'm** _you_**_._ Rather, the** dark side** of you.**

"What do you want with me?"

**Need I spell it out? I'll lend you some of my power. Now kill the traitor.**

Rogue laughed it off. "Preposterous. I can take him without you."

Lector sweated as he looked at Vóreia and Frosch. "Um...is there a reason Rogue is talking to himself?"

"I thought he was talking to the ground?" Vóreia spoke up.

"No way!" Lector defended, pointing his paw at the Lacrima Vision. "Look, he may have developed anger issues, but he didn't go_ that_ over the edge!"

"Fro agrees!"

**Preposterous?** The shadow repeated with a mocking tone. **Preposterous...that Glacia died at the hands of the man before you?** That struck a nerve with Rogue. **Remember how agonized you were, and still are. Remember how angry you were at seeing Glacia's killer return the first day. How furious you were when Mizuno dared to trick you with a duplicate, and succeeded the second time.**

_Shut up,_ Rogue thought, holding his head as his shadow's voice clawed at his mind over and over.

**And then Niebel Glacien waltzed in on the third day, cold and merciless to everyone who stood in his way**, his shadow crooned darkly. **You and Niebel are alike in more ways than one: you want vengeance. You both want to avenge her death, even if the entire world has to go to hell in a basket to do it!**

Rogue groaned, his head in pain from the inner turmoil between his own will and the shadow's. The crowd watched on in confusion, wondering what was going on. Even Sasori and Dobengal were unsure of what was conspiring.

"Is this really the same man who promised me a head?" Sasori murmured. "Now I'm wondering which one he meant, Dobengal's or his own."

**Annihilate them...everyone. Didn't you believe that they deserved all along?**

"Get...out..." The dark-haired man choked on his own breath as his will crumbled under his shadow.

**Don't think of it as murder. It's more...retribution.**

A large shadow rose from behind Rogue, engulfing him with its darkness.** My power...is now yours.**

* * *

Glacia skidded to a halt as agonized screams rung through the late afternoon.

"Found ya, ice bastard!" Glacia hit the ground just as Natsu attempted a flaming, flying side kick at her. He crashed into the ground, creating a large crater with smoke rising from the hole. The girl peeked over the edge of the hole, causing Natsu to pull himself up and glare at her. Glacia jolted and turned back, running as fast as her feet could carry her.

"Get back here!" Natsu gave pursuit, flames burning in his wake. "This is for Wendy: Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Glacia jumped out of the way as a flame burst rushed past her.

"Wait," Lisanna noticed. "Isn't _Chelia—?"_

"Wasn't _Chelia_ fighting Niebel?" Sherry asked.

"She is...isn't she?' Yuka said nervously.

"You guys don't know?!" Toby screamed.

"Something's going on." Two separate fights were displayed on a Lacrima Vision: one with Chelia and Niebel, the other with Natsu and Glacia. "Why does it look like Natsu and Chelia are fighting the same person?"

"If I recall correctly, the one with the gold-buttoned jacket is from Mermaid Heel," Yajima said. "Without a doubt, the one Chelia is fighting must be Niebel."

"So if Chelia is fighting Niebel," Ooba started.

"Why does Natsu think that girl is Niebel?" Happy sweated at the Fire Dragon Slayer's idiocy.

"Unless the one Fairy Tail is fighting with is_—" _Vóreia said.

"Lu-chan!" Levy exclaimed. Lucy hobbled in with Porlyusica, with the former's mid-section bandaged tightly. The blue-haired girl tackle/hugged her best friend while crying, "I thought you were a goner!"

"L-Levy-chan, n-not so tight," Lucy gasped. Levy immediately let go of Lucy, realizing that she had squeezed her friend's stomach.

"You're lucky the scorpion had slow-acting venom," Porlyusica informed. "Any scorpion of that size would kill its victims within seconds. You were lucky to have even survived."

Bickslow lifted his visor a bit to inspect the scenes before them. "Damn, that's tricky. Not enough to fool me, though."

"Something wrong?" Evergreen questioned.

"Not only do those share the same appearance, but they have the same magic," Bickslow said, putting the visor back in place. "The same magical signature. No wonder Natsu thinks it's Niebel: he's confused. But if he can get the cap off, he should snap back to his senses."

Glacia skidded for the second time: just up ahead were her team-mate and Sting fighting it out. Her team-mate met her eyes, then looked behind Glacia. The girl whipped her head around to see Natsu just feet away from her. "Nowhere to go, kid," Natsu challenged.

Glacia did the only thing she could to taunt him: she stuck her tongue out at the Fire Dragon Slayer. Roaring in frustration, Natsu charged at the girl, thinking he was charging at Niebel. Glacia moved out of the way so that Natsu soared past her.

At the same time, the Mermaid Heel witch vaulted over Sting using his head as the fulcrum. "Hey!" Sting roared indignantly. In response, Glacia's team-mate kicked Sting in the back. The force of the kick made Sting collide with another flying object: Natsu.

Sting somehow head butted Natsu, making the fire specialist grunt in pain. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Sting dodged it and aimed for his stomach again, this time harder than his unintended headbutt.

They never noticed the Mermaid Heel duo running off in opposite directions.

* * *

With a mighty sweep of his arm, Rogue pushed the iron puppet towards the cliff face. Parts of the cliff crumbled and buried the puppet; unfortunately, Sasori could feel the damage from where he was. "Oi, can you at least be gentle?" he muttered, regaining his footing. Sasori knew what Dragon Force looked like; but what Rogue was in was_ not_ Dragon Force.

"Kukukuku..." Rogue chuckled in a voice unlike his own; this voice was darker, more evil...and cold. "My strength is at your command, Rogue."

Both Dobengal and Sasori noticed the change in Rogue's demeanor and his speech. "Who are you?' the former asked, knowing that whatever possessed Rogue had to be intelligent.

The possessed Rogue looked up, an evil sneer on his face as he met his opponent's eyes. "Have you really forgotten? It's me, Rogue."

"What_—?" _Rogue appeared in front of Dobengal and delivered a punch. His adversary, however, teleported out of the way and reappeared in the middle of the field. "If that's how you want to be..." The ninja produced three figurines and tossed them; they landed on their feet and expanded in size. "Champion's Guard!" Three armored metal giants stood before Rogue: one gold, another silver, and the final bronze.

"It's official: He's lost it."

Sasori looked behind himself to find half of the Imperial Guardians gathered. "Thought we'd sit back and watch," Jigumo explained, falling on his rear to do just that.

"So this is Rogue Cheney's darkness," Avian murmured, recalling Niebel's speech on the fourth night.

"Shadow Dragon's Roar!"

The metal giants locked shields and pushed up; the burst of shadows struck the shield wall, but the giants stood proudly, refusing to budge.

"Wait, where's Rogue?" Jigumo interjected. The other Imperial Guardians blinked in surprise; indeed, Rogue was nowhere to be found.

A large, swirling vortex-shaped shadow formed under the metal giants. The puppets struggled to escape but the shadow pulled them into endless darkness.

"Over there?" Dobengal pulled out a clear orb_—_

"Too late," Rogue's voice hissed from behind. The ninja turned around in time to see Rogue leap from his shadow. "Shadow Dragon's Slash!"

"Gah!"

Makarov swallowed in fear. "That must be..."

"Yes," Mavis agreed. "He's been possessed."

The ex-saber swung his arm out, only to pass through a mass of shadows where Rogue had been. Rogue's fist flew, but Dobengal caught it and tried to flip him onto his back. Just before he managed to get Rogue flat on his back, the ninja felt two hands grab his wrists and pull his arms back while a foot forced him to his knees.

_Quite the foul magic_, Mavis admitted reluctantly. _And the likes of which I've never seen before!_

"Your arms..." Rogue clenched his opponent's wrists tighter as he twisted Dobengal's arms; the ninja bit his lip, refusing to give Rogue the satisfaction of his pain. "You must be..._very attached_ to them," he mocked.

"That vision from before!" Charle cried in recognition.

_...the Shadow Dragon Slayer, Rogue. He was forcing someone to their knees, holding their arms behind themselves with a foot on the person's back. A sadistic glint in his eyes, black scale-like designs on his face...his foot came down on the person's back as his hands yanked the victim's arms out..._

"He's going to dislocate his arms!" Yuka exclaimed in a horrified trauma.

Frosch watched the Lacrima Vision with fearful eyes. Rogue's eyes were dark crimson, filled with smug victory and hate polished off with a sadistic glint.

With a triumphant smirk, Rogue put his foot down on his opponent's back; his grip on the ninja's wrists tightened as he pulled out Dobengal's arms.

_CRACK!_

Even the bravest of men winced at the scene and the sound that followed. Chapati's wig slipped off from the accumulated sweat; Yajima shook his head, an ugly grimace on his face; Ooba blanched in color, several hairs came free of her bun. In the stands, Sabertooth laughed, much to the disgust of everyone else. Even Vóreia recoiled in dread.

"...Who are you?" Frosch asked shakily, no longer able to find his partner and friend in the monster he became.

Sasori covered his eyes. "Maybe that wasn't my best call," he muttered. "_Maybe_ I shouldn't have left an old buddy alone with a demon incarnate."

Jigumo sucked in a breath. "Damn, he took that without screaming. His lip has gotta be bloody. On the other hand, Rogue could give us a run for our money."

"...In his deranged dreams," Sasori said simply.

Rogue threw his adversary aside, watching with relish as Dobengal landed roughly on his back. "Without your arms, you can't use magic. It's my win."

**Sabertooth** 68**P**

"I promised Sasori your head," Rogue sneered. "Shadow Dragon's_—_!"

A dark figure moved in between Rogue and Dobengal with their arms spread wide and their back to the latter. Rogue ceased his spell to take in the newcomer's appearance: short white hair topped off with a wool cap, one visible blue eye, a dark blue gold-buttoned jacket over a loose light shirt, oval-patterned pants and husky boots.

"Wait a sec." Jigumo rubbed his eyes. "Is that_—_?"

"Glacia?" Dobengal asked uncertainly, thinking he was hallucinating. Glacia nodded without turning her head, all while glaring at Rogue disapprovingly.

The possessed Dragon Slayer laughed. "This is your doing, isn't it, Mizuno?"

"Mizuno?" Sasori asked telepathically.

"Right now, I'm watching Niebel get his butt kicked by that Lamia girl," Mizuno answered. "She's really whipping him. I can't get anywhere near them."

"There's one thing I don't understand," Avian noticed. "Why would Glacia protect her murderer and turn against Rogue?"

"...Get Niebel over here," Sasori decided.

"What?" The Imperial Guardians exclaimed.

"Niebel will only give up the Dragon Lacrima willingly if he sees Glacia in danger. Don't you see?" Sasori motioned a hand towards the scene below. "Just like how Glacia would never put Niebel in harm's way; Niebel would go against the entire world to keep Glacia from the afterlife, even if he had to go against the might of heaven and the armies of hell to do it!"

Avian and Jigumo looked at each skeptically, causing Sasori to sigh tiredly. "Get him over here now!" he screamed.

Unable to refuse a direct order, Avian rushed away while Jigumo stayed behind. "Why is Glacia acting this way?" he murmured.

Sasori tilted his head towards his twin. "Your little friend told you, didn't he? How Glacia wanted to remain dead than return to life; how she hated her previous life so much, she eventually lost the will to live."

_"He's the one who will hurt Sissy the most once she steps foot outside."_

"I finally see what Niebel meant," Sasori said. "Dobengal was the one who granted Glacia's wish: to be free of the chains of life. But the one who will hurt Glacia the most...The man who will attack his love interest blindly...is Rogue."

The scorpion threw his head back and laughed maniacally at the irony. "This is even better than Mizuno's cheesy soap operas; Avian's pathetic plays!"

"But...is it really you?" The ninja asked. In response, Glacia removed her eye patch and let it fall to the ground. Blood stained the patch that once covered her eye.

* * *

Meanwhile, Niebel's left eye throbbed. The Imperial Guardian held his eye in reaction when the strangest thing happened.

In his right eye, he could see Chelia coming at him. But with his left eye...

His left eye showed him a deranged Rogue with scale-like designs on his face looking at him in utter disgust.


	27. Without Magic

Chapter 27

**Without Magic**

* * *

Niebel moved his hand away from his left eye, but his vision wouldn't change: Chelia came at him from his right; Rogue glared at him from his left. What made it even more bizarre was the fact that his left eye was covered by the eyepatch.

Niebel evaded Chelia's punch far too late; her fist collided with Niebel's cheek so hard, the Imperial Guardian could taste blood in his mouth. As he fell, a hand immediately went to his wool cap so that it stayed on.

His eye throbbed again. This time, Niebel could see two people running at him, which confused him greatly. Through his right eye, he saw black wind surrounding Chelia's arms as she zeroed in on him. Niebel's covered left eye displayed Rogue vanishing into the shadows before he reappeared before him.

Before Niebel could decide how to dodge two different people—"Ah—AH-CHOO!" A violent gust picked up considerably, which stopped Chelia in her tracks and made Niebel keep a tighter grip on the cocoon and his hat. At the same time, a torrent hit Chelia directly, sweeping her away in the tide.

Niebel hurried to his feet and dusted himself off. After one last look to make sure Chelia was down, he held the cocoon closer to his body and booked it.

Unfortunately, he didn't take a good enough look. As the water cleared away, Chelia sputtered as she regained her bearings. "Who—?"

"If I may say one thing in our defense." Chelia turned around to see Avian extending his left arm towards the sky while Mizuno did the same with his right. "No one messes with Niebel—but _us_."

Clouds gathered over the entire war zone and darkened the sky. As it rumbled, rain began to pelt the game field and the competitors. Eventually, it rained so hard, it became nearly impossible to see anything. Even Chelia couldn't see Mizuno and Avian ditching the confrontation so they could pursue Niebel.

"Jigumo, take the lead!" Avian yelled through the rain.

"Yu-pez!" Out of nowhere, Jigumo chased after Niebel, throwing off his helmet in the process.

"Say..." Mizuno vaulted over a boulder with ease. "Do you think Sasori spoke ill of us earli-_er_!" he yelled as he landed on the heel of his boot and slipped. The water mage landed on the unforgiving wet grass.

"...I did not fall," Mizuno muttered as he stood up, the back of his coat covered in grass and a bit of mud. "The ground just needed a hug."

* * *

Sasori glowered at the heavy rainfall. "You just _had_ to," he said accusingly.

Meanwhile, Glacia managed to help Dobengal to his feet by carefully getting one of his arms around her shoulders. From there, she walked him over to a canopied area and sat him against a tree.

"I don't get it," Chapati noticed. "Why would a mermaid help Lamia Scale?"

"We didn't need help from a mermaid," Ooba said in agreement. "However, that girl is the barrier that's keeping Rogue from murdering one of my members."

"...Why did you come here?" the ninja asked quietly so that the Lacrima Vision Camera couldn't pick it up. "Why _would_ you? I'm the one who murdered you, for crying out loud."

The half-blinded girl gave him a look with her remaining eye that vaguely told him that he had done the opposite. Glacia stood up and pointed a finger, as if telling him to stay there. Dobengal could have scoffed at this action—after all, trying to get up even with her help was painful enough. But Glacia began to walk away from him—and towards Rogue.

"You're not thinking of taking Rogue on, are you?" Glacia nodded to his question without turning her head back, all while glaring at Rogue in displeasure. Her right hand rested on a strangely familiar pack near her right hip. _How did she take it away from me?_ Dobengal thought as he looked at his side to find the pack no longer there. "But...even with my weapons...what can you do without magic?"

Glacia looked back and gave him an apologetic smile. She lifted her right arm and gave him an okay sign, like she was telling him that she would find a way.

"I don't get it," Arania said. "Why is one of our members helping _him_?"

"Putting that aside, she looks so familiar," Beth interjected. "She looks a lot like Niebel."

"But...the only person who's practically Niebel's clone...no, his _original_ is..." Risley realized.

Glacia continued her path until she stood a few meters away from the Shadow Dragon Slayer.

A cruel, unfamiliar grin lined the possessed Rogue's mouth. "Do you really think a half-pint like you can stop me?"

Glacia shook her head like she knew she had no chance against Rogue in this state. Her hands fixed her hat, which drooped over her only functional eye and her dead eye.

_"'Your identity should be a little harder to discover if they think you're Niebel. So until we can use the fact that you're 'Glacia' as a weapon, we need to hide your ponytail and your voices.'"_

"Are you trying to get Rogue back to his right mind like this?" Sherry wondered if Glacia and Niebel had taken her words to heart.

Yuka looked at Sherry. "Did you say something?"

Rogue lunged, prompting Glacia to hit the ground. She swung her right leg out and hit Rogue's ankle in mid-step. The Sabertooth mage fell forward, mud flew into the air. Glacia hurried to her feet as Rogue did the same, throwing off his tattered cape in the process.

* * *

Erza and Kagura faced off in the now rainy terrain, the crowd cheering wildly for the women.

"It's time we finished this, once and for all," Erza said.

Kagura charged directly towards the scarlet-haired female knight. "I will not hold back."

"Fine with me!" Erza blocked Kagura's strike; but to her surprise, Kagura used Archenemy to push back Erza's sword. The female knight was knocked off her feet; Erza performed a back flip and requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. "Pentagram Sword!"

Kagura avoided every slash until she was above Erza. "Blade of Resentment: Strong Form!" The Mermaid Heel mage dived, sending Erza crashing through the enormous crater created by Archenemy's ability.

Kagura followed Erza down into the crater. "Slashing Form!"

Erza crossed her arms as she requipped into her best defensive armor. "Adamantine—!" Kagura passed by Erza, blood spilling from underneath her broken armor. "Gwah!"

"No way!" Nab cried in utter shock.

Max pointed at the Lacrima Vision. "Jupiter didn't have a chance against that armor!"

Vijeeter stared open-mouthed. "That woman..."

"Hasn't even unsheathed her sword yet," Warren finished, sweating in fear.

"Overwhelming," Makarov breathed in amazement.

Erza hit the bottom of the pit hard, which didn't help her injuries underneath. "Ugh...uh..."

Kagura landed on her feet meters away from her adversary. "This is far from over."

"Gh..." Erza stood up and ran at her opponent. She requipped into her Flight Armor and sped towards Kagura with increased agility. "Sonic Claw!" A volley of strikes hit Kagura as Erza rushed past her, but the Mermaid Heel witch received no wounds. A second later, Erza was cut up once again, much to her confusion. _How?_ she thought as she fell clutching her wounds while Kagura turned to face her. _I didn't see her move!_

Jet clutched his head in disbelief. "Erza took—"

"—the damage instead?" Droy finished, his mouth wide open.

"What the hell is that woman?" Macao shouted.

"To think there's a lady even more elite than Erza," Ren said.

Hibiki put a finger to his forehead as he closed his eyes. "Talk about something I did not see coming."

"Don't you think Kagura-san's overdoing it?" Beth asked.

"Nah, Kagura's tame compared to what Platina could do," Arania said.

"Say, if Platina and Kagura went at it, who would win?" Risley interjected.

They all fell silent. "Well..." Arania said slowly, as if she doubted her own words. "Kagura's an S-Class Wizard. Platina joined last month and she managed to defeat one of Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayers. Then again, Platina's non-human...so she's the only strongest _nonhuman_ witch in the guild, making Kagura the strongest_ human_."

"Unbelievable! After just one year, Kagura has now overwhelmed the famed Titania of Fairy Tail!" Chapati cried.

Erza requipped into her normal clothes. "Amazing...to think that there was someone as strong as you." She lifted her face, blood trailing down her left eye. "That power...is it fueled by your hatred...towards Jellal?"

The mention of his name struck a nerve in Kagura, which fueled her to angrily kick Erza's stomach. Erza crashed against the wall of the pit. Mud flew as Erza barely managed to stand up while Kagura walked steadily towards her, eyes flooded with hate. "I don't care how much you hate him...but don't drag Millianna into it!"

"It's of her own free will." Kagura swiped Erza with Archenemy, sending the female knight flying off to the side. "And to slaughter the man who killed our comrade...that is hers, too. That is the will of my entire guild."

"I—" Erza coughed violently as blood threatened to come out through her mouth. "I can...understand the grudge you have against that ex-saber. But what reason do you have to hold a grudge against Jellal?"

Kagura paused, which made Erza look at her and wonder why she was hesitating to answer. But when she finally spoke, "You were well familiar with him, as was Millianna. Simon—the man killed by Jellal—is my older brother."

Erza's eyes widened at Kagura's revelation. _Simon's sister!_

"A strange sense of déjà vu, wouldn't you agree?" Kagura guessed without emotion in her voice, her eyes closed. "Just like how the fact that Glacia had a little brother surprised everyone on the third day, this astonishes you."

"We lived in poverty as orphans...but we were content just as we were," she continued. "But even the brightest light has no chance against darkness. The child hunt separated us sixteen years ago. I managed to escape and spent every waking moment searching for him. And fate arranged for me to meet Millianna. She told me about his death." Erza began to shake from her emotions turmoiling inside. "He worked as a slave for Jellal, only to be cruelly murdered by him. My vision has been shrouded in darkness ever since." Kagura's grip on Archenemy tightened. "This blade exists to deliver judgement on those who have done wrong on those I hold dear...and on myself. Until I drown this blade in Jellal's blood and the blood of the man who murdered Glacia, my hatred will not rest."

"Millianna wasn't even there when Simon died," Erza said as she got back up onto her knees. "Natsu and I...Jellal and Simon, too...We were the only ones present during that battle. Millianna doesn't even know the true details, so to say that Jellal murdered Simon is only half the truth. No, Simon's real killer...is me," she finished with tearful eyes.

Kagura's eyes widened in utter disbelief. "You would go that far," she gritted, shaking, "to protect that scum?"

"No," Erza said firmly, though her own voice shook with her body. "That is the truth. Simon died to protect me."

Kagura shook uncontrollably as a hand rested on her hilt, wanting to draw it out.

"Kagura!"

"She's gonna do it?"

"Kagura, you must not unsheathe your sword!"

"Kagura, don't!" Vóreia screamed. But the members of Mermaid Heel wasted their breath by yelling at the Lacrima Vision.

Tears welled up in Kagura's eyes as images of her brother flashed through her mind. "If this is your idea of a joke, you chose a rather convenient moment. What's next? Are you going to tell me that you killed Glacia, and not that ex-saber?"

"...And if I said yes?" Erza murmured quietly.

Wrong move.

Tears spilled over as she remembered Simon and Glacia's smiling faces, giving her resolve. Kagura let out a battle cry as she unsheathed Archenemy, the blade gleaming brilliantly as it was removed from the sheath.

"KAGURA!"

Whether it was meant as a joke or not, to hear this woman mock her late comrade was an insult. Erza hung her head as a single tear fell. "I'm sorry." The crowd covered their eyes as Kagura swung her sword; a huge slash split the entire field as the blade completed its arc.

* * *

Jura pointed two fingers at Laxus, and two stone pillars rose beneath his feet. "Wah!" Laxus yelled as she was lifted from the ground. He jumped off the pillars and prepared his own spell. "Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!" A crackling halberd made of lightning flew towards Jura, who raised a pillar to defend himself. The earthen pillar exploded on contact. Using his lightning to propel himself, Laxus darted towards Jura. the Wizard Saint moved his right arm out to block Laxus' punch, but just as he raised two fingers to cast a spell, a huge slash tore up the ground underneath them. The creation of the new crevasse and the loss of steady ground caused the two wizards to fall in. But Jura, as an earth user, created a platform that protruded from the chasm's walls for him to stand on.

Glacia evaded a Shadow Dragon's Claw narrowly, but without magic, she was powerless against Rogue. She looked around wildly, unable to find her opponent.

"Right here," his voice said from under. Glacia spun on her heel as Rogue sent her flying back, planting her face first in the mud.

Meanwhile, Niebel ran as far as he could, trying to catch his breath but unable to do so as Jigumo still gave pursuit. A large chasm opened up on his right, which almost made him fall in. Niebel caught himself in time, but he lost his grip on the cocoon. The woven shell rolled away from him, prompting him to follow after. He slid across the wet ground to reach the cocoon in time, but a boot planted itself firmly on top of Niebel's hand, which rested on the cocoon.

"Niebel, Niebel, Niebel," Jigumo tsked, shaking his head. If only you would understand that we're doing this for the greater good." He grabbed the cocoon and lifted it off the ground; doing so, he unintentionally also helped Niebel up.

Niebel glowered at Jigumo as the older Imperial Guardian lifted the cocoon until it was high above his head; Niebel dangled several inches off the ground, making it so that he met Jigumo eye-to-eye. "Niebel, the princess would have died either way. Even if Dobengal hadn't killed her, this kind of magic would have eaten her from the inside."

Niebel, however, chose to respond by planting his feet on Jigumo's chest. Then he proceeded to yank the cocoon towards himself. Jigumo nearly laughed, but he shrugged casually. "If that's how you wanna play then—Tug-o-war!" The Imperial Guardians engaged in a bizarre game of tugging and pulling, each male with his own ideas—

It was then that Niebel noticed what was going on behind the Imperial Guardian of the West. Rogue lunged for Glacia, who struggled to get up, her back to him as she wiped mud away from her eyes. Panic flooded the boy's inner being as he glanced between Jigumo, the cocoon, and Glacia's life in danger at the bottom of the hill. Niebel closed his eyes as he made his resolve. His feet clambered up Jigumo's chest and used the older male's shoulders to vault himself downhill.

"Ouch," Jigumo grumbled. "Say sorry afterwards, will ya?" He grinned as he dusted off the cocoon, the heat that radiated from it a blessing in the cold, unforgiving rain. "On the other hand, it's just like Sasori predicted. Niebel would throw away the entire world for—wait a sec." Jigumo scrutinized the woven shell carefully. "You're not supposed to be anything but cold." His fingers traced along the walls until his nails dug into a slit that he knew never belonged there. Upon closer inspection, Jigumo discovered a discreet incision made along the outer shell. He pulled the sliced strands aside; the contents were enough to make the spider master tremble in fury. "Niebel Glacien..."

"Jigumo, what's the—whoa!" Mizuno slipped for the second time during the game, his face flushed from exposure to the coldness of his own rain.

"Something wrong?" Avian asked, treading lightly. With his back turned to them, Jigumo used a finger to motion them closer. The Imperial Guardians of the South and East glanced at each other before they decided to approach the spider master cautiously. Avian peered into the cocoon and shook his head. "Oh dear..."

Instead of the Dragon Lacrima they all expected, the cocoon was loaded with multiple Explosive Lacrima. All that was needed to set them off was one good throw and a hard collision.

"Niebel!" Jigumo roared as he hurled the cocoon bomb towards Niebel's retreating figure.

_'You idiot!'_ Sasori yelled into his head, though he could have shouted to him from the top of the cliff._ 'I told you not to kill Niebel!'_

Rogue's arm was only seconds away from Glacia, who turned to see it flying for her face. Niebel arrived just in time to push Glacia out of the way, only for Rogue to swipe his hat hard enough to nearly loosen it. Concurrently, the cocoon bomb landed several feet away from the two, but the explosion that followed was enough to send his hat flying off completely.

No, not his.

Niebel pivoted on 'his' toes as a tail of white hair that protruded from the back of 'his' head met 'his' eyesight. Utter shock painted itself on 'Niebel's' face.

Not just the people in the general area, but the entire audience gaped open-mouthed, eyes wide open, at the sight of 'Niebel'.

"What the hell?!" Jigumo screamed as he clutched his head.

"The imperial is really a girl!" Chapati yelled in astonishment. "But...if she's not Niebel...then who is that mermaid?"

'Glacia' rolled across the mud; as she stopped, she looked at Dobengal apologetically. Her eyes and facial structure became rounder; her eye shade darkened until he was staring at a pair of royal blue eyes. "Sorry," she said, her voice not quite her own. "We're really sorry, Dobengal," Niebel apologized with his own voice.

"Niebel was the mermaid this whole time!" Chapati cried in utter disbelief.

"What's going on?" Mizuno cried, looking from where 'Glacia'—who was now replaced by Niebel—once sat, to 'Niebel'.

Sherry recalled her own words to the 'twins' back at their lodgings. _"'Your identity should be a little harder to discover if they think you're Niebel. So until we can use the fact that you're 'Glacia' as a weapon, we need to hide your ponytail and your voices.'"_

"It seems," Sasori muttered angrily, "that we were the victims of an_ identity prank_."

"I think that all of us here had the misfortune of falling for an identity prank," Yajima admitted.

"But who was that imperial's double?" Ooba questioned.

"Well, there is one person who could possibly act as Niebel's twin," Yajima said. "I believe on the third day, we mistook Niebel for his older sister."

"But...it can't be!" Vóreia cried, tears fell openly. "It couldn't be...They couldn't have..."

"Do you think it's her?" Lector asked quietly.

Frosch stuck his paw into the air. "Fro thinks it's Mermaid-san! She has to be!"

_How the hell did I not see this?_ Sasori thought to himself. _I was so focused on Niebel that I ignored Glacia, all because she wasn't a threat without magic. Niebel would fight against the entire world to keep her safe, but Glacia would never put him in harm's way, so they switched! Glacia knew that Niebel made pinky promises, but she forgot that he was right-handed! If I ignore that trivial issue, such plan could only be described as the work of a pure genius! But if both of them radiated magic—_ The scorpion master's eyes narrowed as he glowered at the scene below. _—Then Glacia has the Dragon Lacrima._

"Rogue?" the real Glacia asked.

The Shadow Dragon Slayer's mouth curled, his eyes displayed cold fury and disgust. "Tell me, does Mizuno even know when to quit?" he questioned her.

"What—?" SMACK! Glacia skidded across the wet terrain, holding her bruised cheek. She looked at Rogue in the eye, only to find them filled with contempt. "Rogue, what happened?"

"On the other hand, you guys got him good," Sasori praised as the remainder of the Imperial Guardians teleported to where he sat.

"He thinks you're a decoy created by either Mizuno and Avian," Dobengal explained, wincing as he shifted.

"What did those idiots do to you this time?"

"Ah-choo!" Both Avian and Mizuno sneezed.

"No," Niebel disagreed. "Not them." He pointed towards Rogue. "I don't think you can reverse what they did, Sissy. Rogue..."

"He's not in his right mind," the ninja said. "He's been possessed. Also, Mizuno and Avian fooled him to the point that he's convinced that—"

"That I'm just a copy to play tricks with him. So what will it take to convince him?" Glacia stood up. "What if...I were the one to engage him?"

Sasori raised his eyebrows. "Well, this became interesting."

"Sissy, you can't!" Niebel exclaimed as Glacia walked away from where he and Dobengal rested. "You don't have magic anymore—"

Glacia looked and smiled, holding a familiar hip pack. "Who said I was going in unarmed?"

"You won't have a chance like this!" the ninja pleaded, trying but failing to stand so he could stop her. "Rogue is one of Sabertooth's five elite wizards. You've watched what Minerva did with Fairy Tail; what do you think Rogue can do to you?"

"He can't," Glacia said quietly. She looked up at the sky longingly. "As long as light exists, so must darkness. And where there is darkness, there is also light. So if what possessed Rogue is his darkness...then I'll help him overcome that."

"Sissy!" Niebel yelled at the girl who took him in as her brother. He ran after her, mist surrounding his body entirely. _If she won't listen to me...or even Dobengal...Then maybe she'll listen to Kagura!_ he thought. The pillar of mist stopped before it faded. Where Niebel stood, Kagura now took his place.

"Glacia!" Niebel shouted with Kagura's commanding voice. "You've already done enough! You don't have to do this!" Glacia halted, which made Niebel think that he managed to win her over. "I'll handle Rogue!" he continued in Kagura's voice. "Stop this nonsense right now!"

Glacia turned back and met 'Kagura's' eyes. "Thank you...and I'm sorry, Niebel," she said. "But...leave this to Sissy, okay?"

'Kagura's' face morphed into one of defeat. With a pop, Niebel returned to his true appearance. "But...Even with a bag of weapons..." he whispered sadly. "What can you do without magic?"


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

**Surpassing the Limits**

* * *

"Oh no," Hacker One moaned in a rueful tone. "We were supposed to edit the live feed."

"The thread's unravelling; now there's no way to fix this," Hacker Two agreed fearfully. "Sasori-dono will bury us alive."

"Bixlow, I thought you said you knew which one was which!" Evergreen berated.

She was met by a pregnant pause from the Seith mage before he grinned, his tongue sticking out. "If I told you the truth, this prank would have lost its joke!"

"Joke! Joke!" his babies squealed. Evergreen and Freed fell down comically.

Elfman laughed halfheartedly, as if he were told a bad punchline. "Where's the manliness in this joke?"

* * *

Sasori watched Glacia approach Rogue from above. "So tell me," he said in a low voice laced with venom. "Who was the one—when I asked for the best Illusionists—that suggested two grunts fresh from Illusion 101?"

The remainder of the Imperial Guardians flinched at Sasori's inflection with the exception of Jigumo, who grew up with his older, more sadistic twin—although his older sibling by eight minutes wasn't as openly sadistic as himself. But Jigumo would grudgingly admit that when Sasori showed his volatile side, the latter made him look like a minuscule spider; he just wouldn't say it out loud.

"Um...didn't they volunteer themselves?" Avian reminded, his voice quivered as the growing magical aura he sensed around Sasori chilled the air.

"_'Didn't they?_'" Sasori repeated with a mocking undertone.

Glacia dragged her feet against the ground as she slid downhill, never breaking her eye contact with Rogue. But the rain poured so heavily, it obscured her vision. She reached into the right hand pocket of Niebel's coat and removed one of the few items she kept when they made the switch: her sunglasses. It was silly, but the ocular wear kept the rain out of her only functioning eye.

"I must admit, you're the least convincing copy as of now. Is your caster running low on magic?" Rogue taunted, his scale-like designs fluttered across his skin.

"Damn, what _did_ you guys do?" Jigumo whistled in an impressed manner.

"Rogue." Glacia reached into the pack she "borrowed". "Whatever Mizuno and Avian did to you, I understand how you came to that conclusion. But it would be a lie to say that's the reason you're like this, isn't it? I can eliminate your darkness. I just need to know—" Her eye met Rogue's impatient ones, which was an emotion she had never seen them. "Are you in there?"

A sinister smile lined the Shadow Dragon Slayer's mouth. He tapped the side of his head. "I'm afraid 'Rogue' is unable to join us. Mind if I relay a response on our behalf?"

"Man, he's lost it," Jigumo noted as his finger twirled next to his ear.

"No need!" With that, Glacia charged into battle with only a bag of weapons. Niebel stood at the top of the hill as he witnessed the former Dragon Slayer and a current Dragon Slayer lunge for each other, his eyes wide with fear for his mentor and surrogate sister.

"Shadow Dragon's—" Before the possessed saber could finish his spell, Glacia whipped out a clear orb and smashed it against the ground near Rogue's foot. A blinding light burst from the remains and engulfed the area.

"A Flash Lacrima!" Avian exclaimed.

"Argh!" Rogue shielded his eyes with his arm so he could block the light. This gave Glacia a chance to attempt to tackle him. But the second he felt her, he blindly swatted her away from him like a fly.

"Sissy!" Niebel yelled as Rogue flung her towards a large boulder.

Glacia managed to re-position herself in midair so she could place her left foot against the rock. Her right foot kicked against the boulder so that Glacia ran at Rogue again. This time, she equipped her left hand with a smoke bomb. It never remained in her hand for five seconds as she set it off, enveloping her and Rogue in smoke.

Rogue covered his mouth, coughing. "This again? I can smell you out, remember?" The sole of a boot brushed against his chin—no doubt its owner couldn't reach her foot very far—which prompted Rogue to clamp his hand around an ankle. But another foot pressed against his chest as a glowing object scratched his nose. The same foot kicked against his hand, which made Rogue release the ankle he grabbed before.

The smoke dissipated and revealed the two contenders: Glacia, who held her left ankle; and Rogue, who cupped his face before he turned around, a small, bleeding scratch across the bridge of his nose. "You really don't know when to quit, do you?" he growled.

"I don't believe it," Mizuno said in awe as he covered his mouth with his hand. "She actually scratched him."

Sasori smiled amusingly, a break from his hidden sadistic nature. "Even without magic, you can put up a fight. But I wonder how long you'll last, Glacia. Who knows? I might just have to step in soon."

Avian tilted his head in confusion at Sasori's monologue. "Sasori?"

* * *

A light spray of blood appeared, only to mix into the rain that continued to fall. Dirt clouds and debris cleared away, revealing Erza, who blocked Archenemy's arc. "But this will not be my grave," she said, her right shoulder sporting a bleeding cut.

The parts of the crater's walls that were destroyed from the unsheathing of Archenemy barely held on to the walls, thanks to underground root growth. Fairy Tail sighed in relief at the sight of Erza, who stood on her feet. "Simon gave me this life—" Her last memory of her adversary's brother played in her mind. "—as did Uncle Rob—" She began to requip as she remembered that the elder's last action was to defend her. "And my nakama." Gone was her tattered outfit; bandages bound her breasts while a flaming kimono bottom covered her legs. A sword appeared in her hand, which pointed towards Kagura. "To relinquish my life so easily would be a slap in the face to all of them."

A crazed look plastered itself on Kagura's face. "You...and Jellal...can die together then!" she yelled as she ran forward.

"If that rage is the source of your power, so be it," Erza said as she wielded her blade with both hands to block a swing that would have taken her head. "I won't trample on those feelings. But I will never acquiesce to them either," she finished.

Erza delivered a blow that sent Kagura airborne. Alzack whooped while Mermaid Heel stared in disbelief.

"No way," Vóreia breathed in a flabbergasted tone. "She beat Kagura."

"That's Erza for you!" Fairy Tail yelled.

"What an amazing spirit! Titania pulled that off, even with her tattered body!" Chapati divulged in amazement.

Yajima nodded with smug pride, as if he knew of Erza's comeback. "As expected."

Ooba sighed. "I'll admit that Makarov has some promising wizards—but that's all you'll ever be able to get out of me, you old coot!"

Makarov's head comically enlarged until it appeared as though he were literally butting heads with the aged woman. "Try and say that to my face, will you?"

Arania tried to keep her tears in at the sight of her defeated comrade. "Even with Archenemy unsheathed...Erza beat Kagura..."

"She lost?" Beth sniffled sadly.

"No." Risley pointed a slim digit at the Lacrima Vision. "Never underestimate Kagura."

Erza, who panted heavily, looked back and received a shock. Kagura struggled to her feet and succeeded.

"Kagura's still standing! It's not over yet for us!" Arania whooped.

The S-Class wizard of Mermaid Heel swayed on her feet as she panted. "I...I'm..."

Whatever the female swordsman was going to say was unknown to everyone. Unable to hold the dirt any longer, the roots broke; a colossal mudslide rumbled down into the crater, joined by heavy boulders from the surface.

"Watch out!" Kagura looked behind herself at Erza's warning, a frightened expression on her face at the sight of the earthfall.

Hands shoved Kagura out of the way. The landslide did little to lag Erza, but a small pebble that flew towards the female knight jabbed her in the back of her shoulder. A larger rock collided with Erza's right foot, making her cry out in pain as she fell.

Kagura sat on the wet ground, dumbstruck at Erza's action. Erza tried not to move, as the boulder had pulverized her right foot. "Why...?" she asked, speechless. "Why would you—?"

"Because...I remember who you are," Erza breathed in pain. Kagura stared at her in shock. "What I mean is..." Erza continued when she saw Kagura's expression, "I have...recollections...of you, but I...couldn't put a name to your face. I could only... recall you as Simon's sister...that was it."

Kagura shook from Erza's words, unable to believe what the scarlet-haired mage was saying.

Erza smiled kindly, but painfully. "It...is. I'm from Rosemary Village, too. Just like...you...and Simon."

* * *

_The villagers ran as fast as they could away from their burning homes. Screams echoed through the night as many witnessed neighbors killed before their eyes by the invaders. Pleas for help were answered by the swing of a sword; by blood that stained the earth; by screams of pain; and by maniacal laughter._

_"Enslave the kids!" A follower of Zeref commanded his fellow devotees. "The adults? Who cares! Murder them! Slay them all!"_

_The child hunt began. Parents fought to the death to keep their children away from these fanatics. Many died in vain as the sight of their children being hauled away became their last sight of life._

_A young Kagura wandered around, crying as she called into the night of darkness, death, and flames, searching for Simon. "Brother...Where are you?"_

_A hand clasped her wrist. Kagura almost screamed, thinking it was one of the Zeref fanatics. But the hand's owner—a scarlet-haired girl—dragged her along as she ran. "You'll get caught if you stay out here in the open! We need to hide!" the redheaded girl said._

_"But...my big brother," Kagura tried to protest. They took a sharp turn around the corner of a house, where a crate stood by the residence. Erza opened the crate quietly. "There's only room for one," she said in a deflated tone._

_"A kid's voice!" A follower's voice yelled around the corner. Both girls jolted at how close the voice was to them. "It came from over there!"_

_"Quick, get in!" Erza quietly hissed, though she helped Kagura into the crate herself._

_"But what about you?" Kagura asked tearfully._

_Erza stopped her hand form closing the lid at the girl's question. But she couldn't talk for long; the fanatics were closing in. "I'll find some other place hide, so don't worry. Live on," Erza said, closing the lid with her final words. As she turned to run, the devotees of Zeref rounded the corner, their eyes displayed relish at the sight of the young girl._

_"I found one!"_

_"Grab her!"_

_Kagura sobbed silently as she listened to everything that ensued outside her safe box. She heard the sound of feet pounding against the ground; the scream of a young girl told Kagura that her savior had failed to get herself to safety._

* * *

Kagura covered her mouth with her hands, tears falling as her entire body shook from the emotional flood. "You're the...from that time," she sobbed.

"Simon chewed my ear off telling me stories about you...It always weighed heavily on me, not knowing whether you managed to escape or not." Through fatigue and pain, Erza still managed to give Kagura a kind smile, like she had so many years ago. The S-Class wizard of Mermaid Heel lowered her hands as tears continued to pour down her face. "Even to this day," the redhead finished.

Kagura hugged herself, remembering the contempt she showed to her childhood savior, crying harder than ever. Finally wiping her tears away, Kagura got up and lifted the boulder off of Erza's bleeding right foot and pushed it away. "I...I need time to process all of this information."

"I understand," Erza said, nodding her head as she got up, supporting herself on her hands while keeping weight off of her right side.

"But I freely admit," Kagura said as she looked up, the final traces of tears still visible. "This is my lo—" A long blade pierced through her lower right abdomen, though it missed every vital spot. Kagura choked on her blood after she saw the blade—which was her own sword. Her eyes dared to glance behind herself, where the snide sneer of Minerva greeted her.

Everyone watched on in horror and shock as Kagura began to fall—only to pound her right foot against the ground, the only thing she could do to maintain a half-standing position.

"Erza is the victor," Minerva simpered, pulling Kagura's own weapon out of her, "but the points go to me." She looked down at them with a monstrous look. "Now you see firsthand...how a real king fights. Only the most delectable morsels will appease our appetites. The head of a mermaid, for instance—"

"You...really need to shut up," Kagura stated defiantly, pulling her body back up to full height.

Minerva's eyes narrowed in contempt. "What did you just say?"

"Unbelievable! Even now, Kagura stands proudly!" Chapati exclaimed.

"Kagura..." Beth said with eyes filled with tears.

"Don't ever look down on Kagura," Risley sniffled.

"But...she'll fall any minute like this," Arania protested weakly.

Kagura dragged her feet towards Erza, who sat in confusion at her actions. "Erza..." Her body slowly began to fall, but not before she said to the Fairy Tail wizard, not Minerva, "I give up." With her surrender to Fairy Tail, Kagura collapsed on the ground.

"I can't believe it," Lector said in a hushed voice. "She pushed her body to her limits...just so she could surrender to Fairy Tail?"

"Fro thinks it's crazy," Frosch agreed in shock.

"It's better them than her," Vóreia spat. "She did all that just so Minerva wouldn't—"

**Fairy Tail** 49**P**

"—win?" the twin-tailed Exceed finished, dumbstruck at Fairy Tail's new score.

"No way," Ren breathed.

"Was Kagura worth—?"

"One point?" Arania asked.

Beth rubbed her eyes, thinking she had misread the score. "Kagura was only worth—"

"One measly point?" Minerva hissed as her body shook in disgust.

"What's going on? Kagura, the S-Class wizard of Mermaid Heel, was worth just one point!"

"They must have made someone else the leader," Yajima noticed.

"But who?" Ooba questioned.

Risley smiled to herself mentally.

* * *

"Ice-Make: Water Serpent!" An enormous serpentine ice golem struck Gray, who grunted in pain.

"Ready to give up, Gray?" Lyon challenged.

In retaliation, Gray threw off his shirt. "In your dreams, Lyon! Ice-Make: Starfall!" Star-shaped pieces of ice flew towards Lamia Scale's resident ice wizard, slicing his skin and clothes.

Sting slammed his palm against Natsu's chest, making him choke as air rushed out of his lungs.

"You've...you've gotten better," Natsu admitted.

"And you've gotten worse," Sting shot back. He cracked his knuckles. "Ever since last year, we, Sabertooth, upped our training regimen. All so we wouldn't lose to pathetic fairies like you!"

He threw a punch at Natsu's face, but the Fire Dragon Slayer caught Sting's fist. "What...did you say? I could have sworn you called us pathetic."

"You're as deaf as you are an idiot," Sting cackled. "I'll say it again: you're weak. Fairy Tail is weak. You guys only had the unofficial title of number one because the games were cancelled last year."

* * *

Niebel fidgeted as the battle continued. Rogue was the obvious winner, but Glacia held her ground against the Shadow Dragon Slayer.

Glacia ducked quickly to avoid a kick. Recognizing an opportunity when she saw one, Glacia swiped Rogue's leg. As he fell, Rogue put a hand on the ground to stop himself. But he forgot that Glacia was still on the ground, which he was reminded of when she managed to tackle him to the ground. Snarling in rage, Rogue struggled against Glacia, which wasn't very hard to do. He backhanded her, which made Glacia fall sideways as she grit her teeth. But midway, her teeth bit down on flesh—the skin on Rogue's right arm.

Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief as Glacia clamped her teeth down on Rogue's forearm. "Let go of me!" Rogue yelled, thrashing against Glacia's hold on him. Niebel took in a sharp breath the minute he saw Rogue pull his fist back.

"Sissy!" Niebel screamed in a panicked voice. He began to run to the next hill, where the two struggled.

Jigumo gulped, sweat ran down his face in small rivers. "That's suicide."

"..." Sasori remained silent as he watched Rogue attempt to dislodge Glacia by striking her. But to his amazement, the girl never budged.

Glacia opened her eye, staring directly at Rogue. She looked behind him and narrowed her eye in concentration. She had only one chance; using whatever strength she could muster, Glacia kicked her feet against the ground so that they moved off the top of the hill. For a moment, they were suspended in midair; as gravity kicked in, Glacia positioned her left knee against Rogue's gut. He hit the ground first, which allowed Glacia's knee to ram against his stomach.

"I said,_ get off me_!" he roared as he finally managed to throw Glacia off. The former Dragon Slayer hit the muddy ground face first.

"Sissy!" Niebel cried, running over to Glacia.

"...Move in," Sasori said finally.

Avian looked at him in surprise. "What?"

Sasori sighed. "Must I repeat myself? Move in now!"

Rogue raised himself on all fours as he vomited, a mixture of bile and blood. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Unseen by him, part of his shadow slithered away. "Ugh...what...what happened? Why did I nearly throw up my liver?"

Glacia's eye widened in shock as she raised herself up to her knees. Rogue held his head as he looked up, locking eyes with her. "Wh—?"

"You heard the boss! Up and at 'em, boys! One, two, _THREE_!" Jigumo's voice thundered above.

Niebel was barely ten meters away when a pincer that burrowed up from underneath grabbed his right ankle and hoisted him up. Serket the scorpion held Niebel upside down above the ground. Sticky thread wrapped around Rogue's wrists and his ankles; before he knew it, he stood spread-eagle, restrained by spider thread. Jigumo swung down from a tree branch and landed in front of his old comrade. He whistled. "Damn, I was right. That is one bloody lip!"

"Jigumo," Dobengal groaned in pain as he tried to shift away.

Footsteps sounded behind Glacia. "Now aren't you going to thank us for saving your life, Princess Glaciana?"

Glacia looked behind herself; Sasori stood five meters away from her.

* * *

**I just really wish my teachers would lay off the homework.**

**I have the next chapter planned out. Right now, as I write it, I can already imagine the reviews that will follow after that chapter is posted.**


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